Out of Time and Place
by Desert Blossom-by-the-Sea
Summary: Daniel must choose between his life on Earth and the life of a new friend. Daniel OC
1. Chapter 1

(Translations of Gaelic words at the end of each chapter.)

_italics _ indicates a vision

* * *

Colonel Cameron Mitchell stood patiently waiting at the bottom of the gate ramp. If occasionally he happened to glance down at his watch, it wasn't because he was becoming increasingly annoyed at Jackson's tardiness. No. It was because it was a new watch and he was simply admiring it.

Mitchell looked to his right and saw Teal'c, majestic, cool, and stoic, looking forward to the gate. Mitchell, after several months of working with Teal'c, had begun to recognize the minute changes in his facial expression. Now, his lips turned up at the corners a fraction of an inch and the miniscule lifting of his right eyebrow denoted amusement. Teal'c managed to turn his glance to Mitchell without moving his head. His lips twitched. Mitchell decided that Teal'c was fighting an inner battle with hysteria.

Mitchell sighed and shifted his weight from leg to leg, then looked pointedly at his watch one more time. He had a date scheduled for later that night and he did not want to miss it because the "professor" got lost in some voluminous tome. Just as he opened his mouth to ask Lt. Colonel Carter where Jackson was, the belated doctor appeared. "Jackson, where the hell have you been? You're three minutes late!" Mitchell wasn't looking forward to this mission, but the sooner they got there, the sooner they'd be able to come home.

Daniel looked up, wide-eyed, eyebrows raised, and blinked several times at Mitchell. "I, um, I was just… I'm late?" Daniel looked back down at his watch, and then tapped it several times. "My watch says I'm right on time."

Mitchell turned on his heels to face the gate and threw up his hands in defeat. "Millions of dollars spent daily on this project and his _watch_ is off!"

"Okay, let's go talk to the Sodan so Teal'c and Daniel can work out a treaty with these people." Carter and Teal'c led the way through the gate, while Mitchell waited for Jackson. Daniel was still checking his pockets when Mitchell said, "Jackson, let's go. We'll be late for the hors d'oeurvres – and you know that's the best part."

Mitchell stepped through the event horizon with Daniel immediately behind him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Daniel stepped out on the other side - alone. No Mitchell, Carter or Teal'c waited for him. He stood, blinking, for a few seconds before the gate shut down. He turned around quickly at the sound, his P-90 up and ready for use. Nothing.

Daniel turned around in a slow 360° circle, scouting for trouble or his teammates. Nothing. Again. Cautiously, he stepped down the hand-hewn stone steps and made his way to the DHD. "Oh, god." The face of the DHD was smashed.

There was no way he could repair it. If Sam was here…but she wasn't. He walked back to the steps and sat, thinking through what had just happened. He was only one or two seconds behind Mitchell. There must have been another power surge like the one that sent Sam and Jack to the second gate in Antarctica or a solar flare like one that sent the team back to 1969.

"Okay, Jackson, think." Daniel pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had several choices. He could remain near the gate, hoping that someone at the SGC would figure out where he was. He could venture out and look for evidence of human inhabitation. He could run around in a circle waving his P-90 over his head and scream like a banshee, hoping that would magically open the gate to home.

While the last might be emotionally satisfying, he doubted it would be much help. Number three out.

He could camp out near the gate. That was probably a good idea. There was no way he could get himself off the planet, so he had to depend upon Sam and the other SGC scientists to find him. They'd never find him if he wandered off too far from the gate. He had almost no food – they had only planned on being gone for the day. He had no tent, sleeping bag, blanket – other than the silver one in his emergency kit - or anything else to keep himself warm and dry. Judging by the plant life around, he knew that there was a fair amount of precipitation. He'd need to build a shelter. He'd need to find food and water.

He could also leave a trail for SGC rescuers to follow and look for humans. That could be dangerous. He had no idea if there were any humans here. There could still be a goa'uld around, along with the requisite Jaffa army. If he found a village or town, the people could be very hostile.

_Okay, I'm staying here. For now._ Daniel began to look around the area, searching for materials useful to his survival. Trees, not tall pines, but oak, elm, ash, and one other he couldn't identify. He decided that it looked a bit like Ireland or some parts of England, except that the forest was denser. That probably means fewer people, if any, to destroy the native flora.

He sat very still, listening for signs of animals. He heard a few birds at a distance. An occasional rustling in the bushes – that should mean small animals he could catch and eat.

Glancing up at the sky, he realized that the sun seemed to be at its apex – noon. He lifted his left wrist and set the small dial at 1200 hours and left the larger dial on Earth time. That way he'd have some way to compare the two. Depending upon how long the days were around here, he should have several hours at least to build a shelter. Looking down at the ground, he saw dry dirt. Grateful that it didn't seem to be the rainy season here, he began gathering branches to make a lean-to.

**SCG**

"What are you doing back here and where is Jackson? Mitchell, have you lost your archeologist already?" Landry hadn't even left the gate room since SG1 had departed several minutes earlier, and now they were back.

"Well, sir, we exited the gate, waited a few minutes and when Dr. Jackson didn't follow us through, we came back to see what was keeping him." Mitchell scanned the room for the errant linguist, fist clenching and unclenching on his P-90.

"He was right on your heels. He followed you through the event horizon." Landry drew his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Sir, he never came through." Sam's voice was soft and wavered slightly.

Landry looked up to the control room where Walter sat, but before the general could utter a command, the chief pulled the microphone up to his mouth and said, "Sir, I've pulled up the video of the gate room when SG1 left. Dr. Jackson went through the event horizon immediately behind Colonel Mitchell."

Landry looked over at Mitchell. "See? I told you. Psychic powers."

Teal'c intervened at this point, "General Landry, should we not be searching for DanielJackson at this point in time?"

"Yes. Lt. Colonel Carter, you need run whatever tests you do to see if there's a problem with the gate." Landry turned toward the control room again, "Chief…"

"Already on it, sir. I'll have all off-world teams report to the alpha site until we confirm that the gate is fully functional."

"How does he do that!" Landry shook his head and headed up the stairs toward the control room.

Carter, Mitchell and Teal'c followed, prepared to battle the mixture of Earth and alien technology to discover the fate of their teammate.

**Off world**

Satisfied that he had constructed a shelter that would keep the worst of the elements off him, Daniel dropped down to rest. He leaned back against his pack and closed his eyes, just listening for a few minutes. As his breath slowed, he began hearing the sounds of this alien world. Birds called to one another in the branches of the trees. Flying insects buzzed around his head, but not too many. He heard on occasional rustling in the bushes – possibly dinner.

XXXXXXXXXX

She'd been watching him from her perch in a large oak tree ever since he had come through the _cloch ciorcal_. He seemed harmless, but he'd held that black object as though it were a weapon, so she'd kept an arrow nocked as a precaution. She'd never seen a man like him before, with his strange black garb and those glass circles on his face.

He was resting now; sitting, with his eyes closed, knees pulled up almost to his chest, hands fisted against his temple.

_He waited in a tent and the woman was pushed through. He tried to push her back out. – The same woman leaned against him, laboring to bring forth a child. – He lay on the ground, injured, his hand gently caressing the face of the dying woman. _

She came out of the vision with a jolt that almost threw her off of her perch. She quickly turned her eyes back to the man. He had opened his eyes, raised the black object and was scanning the trees where she sat. Fearing detection, she froze, knowing that her brown and drab green clothing would blend in with the foliage. _Damnú air!_ He'd seen her! She brought up her bow and released the arrow.

* * *

_Cloch ciorcal _ stone circle

_Damnú air! _Shit!

* * *

A/N: This was unbeta'd so if there are mistakes, let me know and I'll correct them. 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

He went down with a yell, an arrow protruding from his right forearm. She nocked another arrow and dropped gracefully from the tree onto the leaf-carpeted forest floor. She straightened slowly and approached him, arrow directed at his head.

"What the hell was that for?" He yelled incomprehensible words at her. She understood the pain and confusion behind the words, even if she didn't understand the meaning.

"_Bí i do thost! Bog ar ais_!" She crept forward slowly, bow raised, the arrow pointed between his eyes. She gestured with her head toward the nearest tree.

He ceased his movements and tilted his head, listening to her words. "Okay. I know this. _Bí i do thost. _Gaelic?_ Gaelach? Tú cainteoir Gaeilgh?"_

"Yes, of course I speak Gaelic! What else would I speak?" Her voice was steady as she continued to hold her weapon on him.

"Where am I? What planet is this?" Daniel's curiosity overcame his caution, as he switched to her language.

"Planet? I do not know that word. You are in Aeire. There is no other place." She took one cautious step towards him. "Put that down." She gestured with the raised bow to the P-90 still clipped to Daniel's vest.

He slowly moved his left hand to the clip and unhooked the weapon from his vest, sliding it toward her, beyond his reach.

"Put your back against that tree trunk."

Daniel scooted himself slowly along the ground until his back was against the trunk. She pulled a rope from a pouch that hung from her belt and pulled his arms behind him so they almost met behind the trunk.

Daniel hissed when his injured arm was roughly jerked. She tied his wrists together so that he was unable to move. He closed his eyes and ground his teeth together in an effort to keep from yelling out again.

"What do you have in that pack? Is there anything I can use to bind your arm when I remove the arrow?" She dragged Daniel's pack closer, but not close enough for him to reach.

"There is an emergency first-aid kit that has some medicine and bandages. It's in a metal box."

She dug around in his pack, examining the strange objects, until she found what he had described. She opened it, found the bandages and a tube of anti-bacterial ointment. She held the objects up to him, "Are these what you need?"

He nodded briefly; sweat beading up on his forehead.

She put her bow and arrow down behind her and moved over to Daniel's injured arm. She pulled a short knife from her pouch. His pupils dilated as he realized that she intended to cut the arrow from his arm.

"Um, isn't there an easier way to do that? I mean, can't you just pull it out?"

"The arrowhead is triangular shaped and it would do more damage to pull it out than if I cut it out." She sat back on her heals and chewed her lower lip for a moment. "Do you have any wine or beer? Perhaps if you were to drink something first the pain would be more bearable."

"No alcohol, but there are some painkillers in my kit."

"Painkillers? I do not know this term." Her grey eyes were just inches from his and he noticed her full lips were slightly reddened from chewing on them.

"Um, small white pills. Bring the kit closer and I'll show you."

She leaned over his legs to grab the kit and her long, black braid brushed the black material of his BDUs, spirals of hair escaping from the tightly woven hair. She smelled like the woods that surrounded them.

He showed her the pills and she took two out of the packet. He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue so that she could place them in his mouth. Her eyes twinkled with amusement briefly as she reached toward him with the white tablets. Their eyes met and a spark flashed between them. She lowered her eyes to the ground, took a deep breath and dropped the pills onto his tongue. Daniel swallowed them dry.

"How long before I can cut?" She backed away from him and avoided his eyes.

"About 10 minutes. You'll know when I start slurring my words and my eyes don't focus well."

She leaned back against a neighboring elm. "My brother has become creative in his quest for the crown. I did not expect he would know how to contact the spirits beyond the _cloch ciorcal."_

"_Cloch ciorcal? _ Stone circle? We call it a stargate." Daniel brought his eyebrows together as he tried to make sense of her words. "Spirits? I'm not a spirit. You can see that I bleed. I come from a planet called Earth and am an explorer. I became separated from my people and I'm waiting here until they can find me."

"Nothing good has ever come from the _cloch ciorcal._ Only evil and destruction. Even now there is a man in my home claiming to bring peace and harmony to my people, talking to my brother. That is one of the reasons I have left my home."

"A Prior is here?" Daniel sat up as straight as he could and looked around him carefully.

"Yes, that is what he called himself. I did not trust him. He wished to change the ways of my people without the consent of my father, _Roinn Bhinse an Rí_."

"King? Your father is the king? That would make you…"

"The _Banphionsa_." She nodded, "I am the heir to the throne of Aeire, but my younger brother is ambitious and has tried many things to keep me from the throne when our father passes on to the next world."

"Wouldn't your brother, as the oldest male, inherit?"

"No. The oldest child, whether male or female, becomes the next ruler. However, I must be married and have produced a healthy child by my 30th birthday to prove that I am capable. My 29th birthday is only days away, so I have little time."

"I wouldn't think it could be such a problem for a beautiful woman like you to find a willing mate." Daniel was having trouble focusing on her face.

"There are many who believe that they have what I need in a consort, but I have not yet met a man that I could trust with the welfare of my people. All have been greedy and selfish, as is my brother." She cocked her head and looked at him with eyes squinted. "My brother did not send for you to kill me?"

"Wha…? Um, no. I am Daniel Jackson,… a peaceful explorer from… the planet Earth. I've come to learn…" Daniel's head dropped to his chest and a soft snore confirmed that the drugs had taken effect.

She untied him from the tree and dragged him over to his lean-to. Leaving him inside, she went back for the first-aid kit and the materials he had said should be used on his arm. She used her knife to slit his sleeve up just beyond the wound, revealing the arrow imbedded in his right arm. She smeared a little of the ointment on the edge of her knife and around the wound. She moved herself so that she could clamp his arm between her legs, keeping him from moving while she dug into his flesh.

Sending up a quick prayer to the goddess, she took a deep breath and made a small slit on either side of the arrow. Glancing at his face, she saw his brow furrowed in pain, but he made no move to pull away from her. She turned her attention back his arm and grasped the arrow's shaft with both hands. Closing her eyes, she pulled up as hard and as quickly as she could. The arrow came out smoothly, leaving a two-inch wound in his arm. She took another fleeting look at his face and saw that the color had drained from around his lips. She applied the ointment, pulled the skin together and began stitching the two sides together, as she had done many times before for her younger siblings after their mother had died. She placed a bandage over her work and wrapped the long material around it several times to keep it in place.

Satisfied with her work, she replaced the things in his kit. She went back out to bring his pack into the small lean-to. She dug around a bit and found a packet with a long silver piece of material. She shrugged, wondering what it was, and tucked it around him. Going back outside, she gathered twigs to build a fire just out of the opening of the lean-to. She knew the night would become very chilly. She also knew there was a good change he could run a fever that night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Daniel slept restlessly through the night. She kept watch and continued to feed the fire that kept the sharpest of the cold away from the make-shift lean-to. Once, when she placed her hand on his forehead to test for fever, he had called out, "Sha're" very softly. She wondered if Sha're was the woman in the vision she had had.

As she kept watch through the night, she reflected on her vision. She'd always known she had the gift – it was not common among her people, but a few of the women possessed it. She was told that her great-grandmother had been blessed with it. The sight had saved her father's life once when she had warned him not to cross a wooden bridge over a deep ravine. He tossed a rock onto the wooden planks and they had crumbed to dust like a handful of earth, trickling between her fingers to the ground. Several other times it had kept one of her younger siblings from harm, but she had never had a vision of anyone other than her blood relatives.

Sha're must have been very important to this man. She knew the woman had died, but the feelings must still be strong in him for her to pick them up from so far away. She cupped his cheek with her hand again, hoping for another vision to help her know this stranger. She'd never been able to control the visions – they just simply happened. She leaned over and placed both hands on the sides of his face and her forehead against his. She closed her eyes and concentrated on him, trying to pull some hint of his life from him. Nothing.

Frustrated, she pulled away from him and sat back down. It would be morning soon and they would have to leave the area. She knew her brother had men tracking her and it would not be safe to stay much longer than day break.

The man beside her began stirring and murmuring softly. She leaned over and gently tapped his shoulder. "Daniel Jackson. You must wake up now. We must leave soon."

Daniel blinded several times, before keeping his eyes opened. His crystal blue eyes met her steel grey eyes. "Who are you? Where am I?" He tried to pull himself up to his elbows, but the wound in his right arm reared its painful head and he winced sharply.

She placed both hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down. "I am Ashling, heir to the throne of Aeire."

"Ah. Yes. It's coming back. You shot me. Ashling? That means dream or vision, I think. Well, I hope I'm having a dream and that I'll wake up back on Earth in my cozy bed without beautiful alien princesses peering down at me. Although, the beautiful alien princess part is rather nice."

Her lips twitched briefly in amusement. "You must get up. We need to leave soon. The men my brother has sent after me will have tracked me by now and it will no longer be safe here."

Daniel lifted his right arm and examined the bandage. "You did a good job. I think I should change to bandage before we leave." He sat up, slowly, and began to unwind the bandage. She dug into his pack and pulled out the first-aid kit. Moving back to him, she opened the kit and moved his left arm away from his injured right arm. He cocked his head at her, but allowed her to finish removing the old bandage. They both inspected the wound and decided that it showed no sign of infection, so she reapplied ointment and a fresh bandage.

He watched her face as she concentrated on the task. "You look like you've done this before."

She glanced up at him briefly, with a quick grin. "I have six younger brothers and sisters. I have cared for injuries much worse than this many times."

"Ah." He looked around him, groping around with his left arm.

"I have placed your glass circles behind your head. What purpose do they serve? I have never seen such a device before." She finished wrapping the fresh bandage and dug into her pouch. She pulled out a needle and thread and began repairing the damage she had done to the sleeve of his shirt.

"They are called glasses and I use them to help me see clearer. Without them things at a distance are a bit fuzzy."

"Devices like that would be of much use to my people. Are there many such things where you come from?"

"Well, yes. We have mechanical devices to help people hear, to help people move around when they are unable to walk on their own, and many other medical devices to help sick and injured people." He leaned over the back of her head and took in a deep breath. She smelled of autumn - mysterious, rich and colorful. His eyes closed and he swayed just a bit as he allowed his senses to take over.

She had just finished biting off the thread, when she noticed him swaying. Alarmed, she grasped his shoulders and lowered him back down. His eyes flew open at her touch and they both froze. Her heart stopped.

(_He was lying on a stone alter, bleeding profusely from a wound in his side. She was tied to a stone pillar, unable to get to him. There was smoke and the cries of frightened children swirling around them. A pale face peered at her from beneath a light grey hood. Cold, dead eyes met hers.)_

_Bí i do thost! _Do not move!

_Bog ar ais! _Back away!

_Tú cainteoir Gaeilgh?_ You speak Gaelic?

_Roinn Bhinse an Rí _King

_Banphionsa _Princess

A/N: These are probably wrong, but the best I could find using an online word/phrase translator. Apologies to any of you who may speak Gaelic. (I wish my Irish Godmother was around now, God rest her soul.)


	3. Chapter 3

Hovering over him as she was, he knew exactly when her eyes unfocused and she slipped into a trance. He gripped her arms to support her, but remained still for the few seconds she was out of it.

She blinked at him, bringing him back into focus. He pulled himself into a sitting position and brushed the fine curls from her eyes. "Are you all right?" His softly spoken words brought her attention back to him.

"Yes. I will be fine in a few minutes." She pulled away from him and left the lean-to.

"Ashling, what happened?" Daniel followed her into the cold, foggy morning.

"I have the gift. I saw a vision from the future."

Daniel came up behind her, turned her around and pulled her into a hug. She leaned into his comforting embrace and received his protection briefly, welcoming his strength and warmth. She took a deep breath, and stepped away from him. "It was… disturbing."

He flashed a quick reassuring grin at her. "I gathered that. Do your visions always come true?"

"Yes, and no. I can frequently warn people and I have prevented many accidents, but sometimes I can't change things. I fear this was one of those visions." She closed her eyes fleetingly and when she opened them, Daniel no longer saw fear in the grey depths, just determination.

"We must leave quickly. My brother's men will be here very soon now that the sun is up."

There was very little to pack up and it only took a few minutes. Daniel wrote a note and taped it to the broken DHD in case someone came through the gate looking for him.

Ashling led them into the forest and headed for a small rippling stream where, Daniel assumed, they might be able to loose the mercenaries her brother had sent after her. He maintained silence during their trek, having finally learned from all those years with Jack that there is a good reason to be quiet while hiding from the enemy.

She stopped after a couple of hours and motioned for him to sit. "How is your arm feeling?"

"It's fine." Daniel opened his canteen and took a long drink of water. He offered her some, since she wasn't carrying any drinking water with her. She accepted with a nod of thanks and returned it to him after several short sips.

"Where are we headed?"

"To the village of my parents' family. They will accept me there and not turn me over to my brother."

"Won't your brother look for you among relatives?" Daniel batted at a gnat hovering around his face.

"He wouldn't dare harm family. Our father would disown him immediately."

"Wait. He's trying to kill you! Why won't your father interfere and stop him?"

She stood up and took a step away from Daniel, her back to him. "Iollan has fooled many people over the years. He has a great sense of humor and a way of looking you directly in the eye that makes most people believe him, even when he's lying. He never loses his temper around people, but I've seen him destroy every object in a room when he doesn't get his way. Our father dotes on him. He is the only boy out of seven children and I do believe that Father was greatly disappointed when his firstborn child was a female, me."

"Iollan. Doesn't that mean 'worships another god'? That seems a very appropriate name for him since he brought the Prior to your planet."

"Yes, you are correct. He wants to change the ways of our people. We have existed in Aeire for almost two thousand years and have prospered, but Iollan wants to bring in strange men and strange ways to Aeire. I am not against progress, but it must come from within our people, not be forced upon us by outsiders." She turned abruptly back to Daniel, twisting a curl hanging by her temple between the fingers of her left hand.

"What does your father think about the Prior?" Daniel watched as she continued to play with her hair and chew on her lower lip before responding to his question.

"My father does not trust this stranger, but because my brother brought him into our home, he feels obligated to extend every courtesy to the man. He will not easily evict the Prior." She crossed one arm over her waist and rested the other elbow on it, fingers still twirling the loose hair. Daniel became fascinated with the movement of her graceful fingers in her hair. He could almost feel the texture of the silken hair between his own fingers as she stood in front of him.

She looked down and started when she noticed Daniel. "I think I should take a look at your arm before we continue."

"It's fine. You can check it tonight." Daniel stood, ready to continue their hike. "You know, I just realized that I haven't eaten since morning yesterday and I know you didn't eat dinner last night, nor breakfast this morning. We really should find something to eat." He looked around at the plants surrounding them and wondered what was safe to eat. "You should be able to find us something edible in this forest."

"If we keep walking, we'll be at my family's village by noon today and then we can have a true feast."

She turned and continued to lead Daniel through the forest.

XXXXXXXXXX

They reached the village just as the sun reached its highest point in the heavens. She led them through the tiny village, just a collection of a dozen huts, to a large stone hut with a thatched roof. She rapped several times on the wood-plank door, and then entered, ducking her head to avoid the low lintel.

"_Aintin_ Neala? _Uncail_ Tomas? Anyone home?" Ashling's quick scan of the room revealed someone kneeling by the stone hearth, stirring the black iron kettle hanging over the open fire. The figure rose slowly, wiping long fingered hands on her apron and turned around.

"Ashing? Come in, come in, _neacht_! You have come just in time for the noon meal. And who is this strapping young man you've brought with you? A suitor, perhaps?" She strode across the room and enveloped Ashling in a hug that resulted in all but total disappearance of the young woman. "It has been far too long since you have visited. Come, sit."

Ashling allowed herself and Daniel to be led to the only two chairs in the room. "_Aintin_ Neala, this is Daniel Jackson. He claims to be a traveler from another world. I found him near the _cloch ciorcal_."

Neala turned a thoughtful gaze upon Daniel. He squirmed briefly in the wooden chair, then stood, bowed his head slightly, and offered his hand. "I am Daniel Jackson from the planet Earth. I am a peaceful explorer who has become separated from my companions. Thank you for your hospitality and generosity."

Neala scrubbed her hand off in her apron again and took Daniel's in a firm grip. She continued to hold onto his hand and seemed to bore into his thoughts and feelings with her eyes. She finally released his hand and turned to her niece. "There is much more to this man than it seems. Ashling, he is the one."

Ashling's mouth dropped open as she focus on her aunt's grey eyes. "He cannot be, _Aintin_, he came through the _cloch ciorcal_. Only evil has ever come through in the past."

Neala only nodded and lifted an eyebrow. "When have you ever known me to be wrong in matters that are of such importance?"

"Never, _Aintin_. That is what scares me." Ashling turned her eyes back to Daniel, who was still standing. His expression showed that he understood the words, but not the meaning of what had passed between the two women. He looked back to Ashling and lifted an eyebrow in question, challenging her to explain.

Neala gave Ashling a reassuring pat on the shoulder and then left the hut to call the rest of the family in for the noon meal. Ashling sighed and gestured for Daniel to sit back down.

"In my family, the royal family, it is the tradition for the eldest sister of the father, in this case my _Aintin_ Neala, to pick the future spouse of the eldest daughter, me. She has chosen you." Ashling lowered her eyes to her hands, which were busy pick at invisible lint on her leggings.

"I don't know what to say. Ashling, surely you know that I will not be staying here in Aeire. As soon as my friends find a way, I'll be leaving Aeire and going back to my home." Daniel reached over and laid his left hand over her's, quieting her nervous movements.

"Daniel, we know nothing of each other, but in my world that is often the way it is with royal marriages. My parents did not see each other until the marriage ceremony, but they had a happy marriage until my mother died in childbirth fifteen years ago. My father misses her to this day. It is possible for two people to become comfortable with each other."

(_He waited in a tent and the woman was pushed through the opening flap. He tried to push her back out. He saw the panicked look in her eyes and understood that it would not go well for her if he were to refuse her as a gift. He put his arm around her, smiling and nodding; he let her father know that he was satisfied with the gift.)_

"She…Sha're… was a gift to you. You did not know your wife until she was presented to you as a gift by her father." Ashling's voice wavered as she saw the shadows pass across his face. He withdrew his hand from hers, pulled his glasses off and pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes in an effort to stop the torrent of memories.

Ashling slid off her chair and knelt next to Daniel, placing her hands on his knees, offering her support. Daniel stood quickly, put his glasses back on and began pacing in the limited open area of the room.

"She… How, um, how did you know about her? I never told you about Sha're. I've only spoken about her with my closest friends."

Ashling grasped the arms of the chair to steady herself as she knelt beside him. "When I first was watching you build the shelter…when you finished…you were sitting so still…I had a vision of you with her. Of you helping her give birth to a child that was not yours…of her violent death and you lying beside her. Daniel, my visions not only allow me to see what happened, but how you felt. I _know_ how much you loved her because I felt it myself."

He stood and turned his back to her, sucking in deep, shaky breaths.

"Daniel, I am sorry if I have intruded in your personal life. I do not choose my visions. I cannot control them. They come, or they do not." She stood and moved behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You are the only person outside my family I have ever had a vision of. That is what surprised me so much in the tree. I almost fell out."

He gave a quick snort of a laugh as he remembered his first sight of her perched on the tree branch. He turned to face her, capturing her hand between his two. "It's okay. It's okay. I just…I never… Well, I just don't share my feelings with people very well. There are only a few people I know well enough to trust like that. It's hard for me to allow that kind of… that kind of intimacy."

Neala entered the hut, followed by a pack of enthusiastic children and one tall, dark man who gave Ashling a huge smile.

"Ashing, my _neacht_! You must never stay away so long again." He glanced over at Daniel, nodded briefly at him, and turned back to Ashling. "We must talk. After the meal. You, me, Neala and Daniel."

_Aintin_ aunt

_Uncail_ uncle

_Nia_ nephew

_Neacht_ niece

Tomas means twin (Irish form of Thomas)

Neala means female champion (female form of Neil)


	4. Chapter 4

After a satisfying meal of vegetable stew and hearty, brown bread, Ashling's aunt and uncle scooted the children outside. The four adults gathered around the table while _Uncail_ Tomas lit a pipe and sighed contentedly. He glanced over at his wife, who was watching Ashling and Daniel, and gave her a spicy grin and a quick hug. She leaned against him for a quick kiss and then turned back to the young couple seated on the opposite bench.

"Ashling, there have been several, well, 'unpleasant-looking' men in the village searching for you. I assume they were sent by Iollan?" Tomas drew a deep breath from the pipe and blew a circle over his wife's head.

"Yes, _Uncail_, Iollan has been trying to stop any marriage I might make for the past few years. Recently, he has made a couple of attempts to kidnap me. I believe that he will either keep me hidden until it is too late for me to marry and conceive, or he will arrange an 'accident'." Her eyes flitted between her aunt and uncle while she spoke, the long, tapered fingers of one hand continuously tapping a mindless rhythm on the table. Daniel noticed the ring on her right hand. It was the _claddagh _of the traditional Irish-Celtic people on Earth. She wore it with the heart pointing away from her heart, signifying that she was unattached.

Tomas and Neala looked at each other for several heartbeats and Neala finally gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Tomas turned back to Ashling. "We believe that to save your life, you and Daniel must marry now and that you must conceive a child as quickly as possible."

He looked over at Daniel to see him duck his head and squirm uncomfortably. He gave his wife a quick grin and continued speaking.

"You should remain hidden until the child is born. If Iollan were to find you pregnant… Well, you can be sure that the child would never survive. As soon as you are delivered of a healthy babe, then you can return to court and your father will recognize you as the legitimate heir to the throne of Aeire."

Daniel had listened in silence to the "proposal" made by Tomas in his behalf. As the silence grew deafening, he finally waved a finger in the air. "Um, excuse me. Can I say something?"

Since no one responded, Daniel continued, "You've got us married with a kid! What if Ashling and I don't want to marry each other?" He held out his bandaged arm. "The first thing she did when she saw me was to shoot me! Not a great way to start any relationship, especially a marriage! Also, I have a life on another planet – completely away from here and I haven't planned to stay here forever and I won't leave a wife and child here without me." He lowered his head and scrubbed his fingers through his hair in frustration. "If I agree to this, I have to choose between my life and Ashling's. I don't see how I can make that choice."

Ashling turned her head and watched as Daniel struggled with this. "I agree with Daniel. Surely there must be someone else I could marry?"

Her aunt reached across the table and patted Ashling's hand. "Ashling, your birthday is in three days. It takes nine months to carry a child to term and who is to say you could get pregnant immediately? You are related to everyone in this village and it is just too dangerous for you to wander around looking for a suitable consort. I see no other solution."

Daniel stood up and walked out of the hut. He continued to march through the village and back down the path that brought him from the stargate that morning. His steps were quick and long, almost a jog, as if by exercise he could remove himself from the problem. How the hell was he supposed to choose between Ashing's life and the life he had on Earth? He'd made that choice once before and was a good choice for the time. He'd had no life to pull him back to Earth then. But now he had responsibilities to his teammates, to the SGC, and to Earth. He couldn't run from the biggest threat the universe had ever faced.

Still, she would probably be killed if he didn't help her.

He walked for hours and found himself back at the stargate late that afternoon. His note was still taped to the DHD, so he knew no one had come through looking for him. If they had, they wouldn't have a way back until someone repaired the DHD.

Frustrated and tired, he climbed into the lean-to he'd built the day before and promptly fell asleep.

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Ashling started to go after Daniel when he left, but her aunt pulled her back into the hut. "Let him go. This needs to be his decision."

"_Aintin_ Neala, how could I possibly ask him to give up his life for mine?"

"You cannot. He must choose. And he will choose you. I have seen it."

Neala slid an arm around Ashling and led her to a chair by the fire. "Tomorrow he'll be back with an answer."

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Daniel awoke in the predawn night; that time of day when the sky announces the coming of the sun with trails of high, thin, red clouds and an orange sky. He lay back with his hands clasped behind his head, trying to make a logical decision about the problem.

There was just no way to come up with something. He felt a responsibility to both Ashling and to Earth. He wanted to go home and continue his fight with the Ori and have a chance to go the Atlantis, but realistically he knew there was very little chance that Sam could find him. If he turned down Ashling, he might still be stuck here anyway and have no chance to make a difference for the people here and her brother could have her killed. If he married her, he would become the consort and have some influence on the well being of the people here.

There was also the Prior who was here. There had to be some way he could help Ashling to rid Aeire of that evil.

He pulled himself out of the lean-to and sat, staring at the gate and remembered everything it meant to him: home, work, friends, Sha're. All of that was gone now. There was really no chance to get back.

The only real choice he had was to start a new life here.

He rose to his feet and took a last look at the stone circle that represented his past life. He began the trek back to the village and his future.


	5. Chapter 5

Daniel arrived back at the village hot, tired and famished. He'd only had one meal in the past 48 hours.

As he trudged through the collection of huts, he gathered his thoughts and emotions together. He hadn't thought about Sha're so much in years. A corner of his heart was still hers, but he had moved on since he had descended the first time. He'd only just recently begun to think about the possibility of finding someone to share his life with. However, with his work it was almost impossible to find the time necessary to develop a relationship. He remembered how Sam had struggled, trying to balance her work and Pete. He already knew that his only hope of a good relationship was to either find someone at the SGC or someone off world. Someone he could share his experiences with and who understood when he was gone for long periods of time.

He looked up and realized that he'd been standing in front Tomas and Neala's door for several minutes. Sighing, he raised his fist and knocked.

Ashing glanced at her aunt. She knew it was Daniel at the door. Neala nodded to Ashling and the younger woman went to the door and opened it. Daniel looked haggard. He was dirty from two days of hiking and two nights of sleeping in the lean-to. His skin was slightly grey from lack of food. She reached out an arm and pulled him into the hut, ushering him over to the table. She shoved him down onto the bench and while Neala dished up some food, Ashling pulled his injured arm onto the table and began to unwrap the dirty bandage.

While Daniel ate with his left hand, Ashling cleaned his wound and bound it with a clean dressing. Fortunately, the wound had remained free of any sign of infection.

Ashling and Neala remained silent while waiting for Daniel to finish eating. When he had finished and some of the color had returned to his face, he turned to the women watching him from the other side of the table.

"Okay. I'll do it," he said softly. "I'll marry you, Ashling." He gave her a small ironic grin, "This is so not the way I'd pictured another marriage."

"Thank you, Daniel. I'll make you a good wife and give you many children." Ashling's solemn expression reflected her gratitude for his sacrifice.

Daniel reached over and took her right hand. He removed her _claddagh_, turned it around so that the point of the heart would face her heart and placed it back on her finger, signifying that she was now an engaged woman. Solemnly, the two regarded each other, until Daniel raised her hand and gave it a quick kiss to seal the engagement.

Neala jumped up from the table. "Why are you two so sad looking? We have a wedding to plan and a _bainis_ to prepare for!"

Daniel suddenly became unimportant as the two women began to talk about preparations for the wedding and the party to follow. He was shoved out the door and told where he could find Tomas, who was working in the fields. All he was told was that the wedding would be in two days, Ashling's birthday and a Wednesday, considered to be the luckiest day of the week on which to celebrate a marriage.

That night he was given a blanket and pushed into a corner of the hut, while Ashling and the females of the family climbed up a ladder to the sleeping loft. Daniel turned a blank face to Tomas, who shrugged and laughed at Daniel's confused expression.

"Give it up, my boy. When the women have a celebration to plan, men are not wanted." He spread his blanket on the floor, lay down on it, and wrapped it around himself, looking rather like a tacquito. Daniel followed suit and was asleep within minutes.

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Wednesday found Daniel shoved out the door - again - first thing in the morning. He, Tomas and Tomas' sons were told not to come back but to meet for the wedding at noon.

Tomas led Daniel to the nearest lake where he and all the male members of the family took a cold bath. Daniel was given a pair of tan, leather pants called_ bracae_ to wear along with a soft, woolen, sky-blue tunic that came down almost to his knees. The tunic was embroidered around the neck and wrists with gold and silver thread. Tomas handed him a metal belt made from braided gold and silver. He sat on a large, flat rock and slipped his feet into sandals that were laced over his _bracaes_, around his calves almost up to his knees. Tomas placed a long, royal blue cloak over his shoulders, fastening it at the neck with a crown-shaped gold broach. Tomas explained that because he was marrying into the royal family, he would be considered to be royalty and could wear the crown symbol. He then placed a golden circlet on Daniel's brow, imbuing him with the power of royalty.

Just before the sun reached its peak, the colorfully clad group of men and boys trod through the town back to the stone hut where Ashling waited. Neala opened the door and led the girls outside. By now the rest of the village had gathered in their finest apparel, eager for any excuse for a party. Ashling appeared in the doorway wearing a dress in a color that matched Daniel's tunic. It hugged her figure from the low, scooped neck down to her hips, where it flared out to the tips of her toes and trailed behind her in a short train. The neckline and the wrists were embroidered to match Daniel's. She also wore a matching belt that settled around her hips. Her black silken hair, crowned with a golden circlet that matched Daniel's, waved down her back to reach the top of her hips.

Daniel stood blinking in astonishment. He had known she was an attractive woman, but after only knowing her for four days, he'd had no idea she was so breath-takingly beautiful. He gently smiled at her as she hesitated to leave the safety of her aunt and uncle's home. His hand lifted to take hold of her hand and he led her into the sunlit world that would become his permanent home.

Neala and Tomas, as the elders of the village, led the party to an open meadow surrounded by the forest on three sides and a lake on the fourth. Daniel and Ashling were encircled by the entire village as Tomas began the ceremony. Daniel was led through the traditional Aeire wedding vows and he and Ashling pledged to become bound in body and soul to one another. Tomas had Daniel lift his right hand and Ashling her left and they were tied together with five, colored ribbons. Each color represented a different aspect of marriage: green – the physical and material, yellow – the intellectual and mental, red – the power and passion, blue – the emotional and love, and white – the spiritual and philosophical. They were told to keep their hands tied together through the wedding meal and the dancing. They could untie the knotted ribbons only when they entered the bed chamber that night.

Daniel removed her _claddagh_ ring from her right hand and placed it on her left, heart pointing to her heart, showing all Aeire that she was now a married woman and belonged to him alone.

Daniel, Ashling, and all the guests were then given smooth river stones. The group marched over to the lake and watched while Daniel and Ashling threw their stones in first. The ripples left by the two stones mingled and expanded into the symbolic eternity of the lake. The rest of the wedding party threw theirs in to indicate their support of the new husband and wife.

Tomas and Neala then led the group back to their home, where tables groaning under the weight of plates overflowing with food had been set up outside. The bride and groom were seated at the center of a table in the middle of the others. After everyone was seated and had a mug of mead, Tomas stood to give a toast to the new couple.

"Congratulations to you both, who now face life together. Daniel, your enemies, friends and family are now Ashling's and, Ashling, your enemies, friends and family are now Daniel's. May you carry one another's burdens. May you brighten each other's day. May you be the candle to light one another's darkest night. May your children be a numerous as the blades of grass in a spring meadow. And may the angels cover your home in protection." Tomas raised his mug in toast and the entire group drank in agreement with the toast.

From that moment on the atmosphere became merry and Daniel was reminded of Bilbo's birthday party scene in the Fellowship of the Ring movie Teal'c had dragged him to several years ago.

Daniel, eating clumsily with his left hand, watched the people enjoying the break from daily life. Ashling sat stiffly beside him until she realized that this was even more uncomfortable for Daniel than it was for her. She was among family and friends, even if her new husband was a stranger who had reluctantly agreed to marry her to save her life and her people. She began to look at him for the first time since she'd met him.

He was very handsome in his blue tunic that matched the color of his eyes. His hair was shorter than the men in her world wore theirs and tended to stick up in the front, but the soft brown color was nice. Once she had gotten used to the glass circles he called "glasses" she had been able to notice his clear blue eyes that occasionally clouded over when he remembered the loss of his world. She looked down at their hands, tied together with the ribbons of the handfasting ceremony. She had been so focused on her fears of her brother and marriage to a stranger that she hadn't stopped to realize just what he had given up for her.

She twisted her left hand around in the ribbons until she was able to entwine her fingers with his. He stopped eating and just watched their hands as she moved her fingers between his. Her heart beat faster when he raised his eyes to meet hers and gave her hand a slight squeeze. He picked up his mug of mead and gestured to her to do the same. He brought his mug to meet hers in a toast and took a long, slow sip of the intoxicating drink. His eyes never left hers during their private toast to their marriage. He began absentmindedly stroking her finger with his thumb and her heart stopped beating.

"Ashling, I know this isn't the marriage that women dream of, but I make you a promise. I will do my best to make this marriage a good one. I will be faithful to you. I will protect you. I will cherish you as my wife." Daniel leaned over and kissed her cheek with a quick brush of his lips.

Her hand rose to caress the moist spot he'd left on her cheek. "And I promise, Daniel, to always be faithful to you. To make a home you want to come back to every day. To support you and listen to you. I will honor and respect you as my husband." She leaned over and returned his kiss.

They both continued to gaze into one another's eyes, aware that this moment was the true beginning of their marriage and commitment to each other.

Tomas and Neala watched the exchange from either side of the new couple. The leaned back to gaze at each other, satisfied that they had chosen the best man possible for their niece. Tomas raised an eyebrow in question to Neala and she nodded affirmatively back. He stood and banged on his metal mug with the back of his knife. "People, it is now time to begin the dancing! The new couple will start."

A small group of men gathered to one side with instruments that closely resembled a flute, a harp, small bagpipes, and a drum. They began "warming up." At least Daniel hoped that noise wasn't the real music. It was pretty terrible. _Wait! The new couple? That's me! I have to dance in front of all these people? I don't think I've had enough to drink to do that! _He reached for his mug and drained it completely.

Daniel and Ashling stood and she led him to the center of a clearing among the tables. Ashling reached into the bodice of her dress and drew out a large white handkerchief. Daniel's eyes followed her every move and he teasingly waggled his eyebrows at her when she noticed him watching her. She took one corner of the white cloth with her right hand and held out the square for Daniel to take the opposite corner. They were now facing each other, two hands bound by the marriage ribbons and the other two connected by the handkerchief. Groups of people had joined them, forming a line of women behind Ashling and a line of men behind Daniel.

"Um, I don't dance back at home. You're going to have to show me what to do, and be nice when I stumble all over the place." He flashed a self-conscious grin at her and hoped this dance would be over quickly.

The lively music began and she started with a curtsey. The women behind her also curtsied, while at the same time the men behind Daniel gave a quick bow, so Daniel imitated them. He tried to keep up with her as her foot steps began slowly and became progressively faster and more complicated. He could see the women in the line behind Ashling politely covering their mouths as they tried not to laugh out loud at his clumsy attempt to dance. He finally gave up and began to dance like he seen people do in nightclubs – arms flailing (as best as he could being tied to his partner) and feet kicking in time to the music. Both lines of people stopped their dance and stared at him open mouthed in astonishment. He just grinned, shrugged and continued to dance in his own style. The men and women finally laughed with him and continued their dancing.

Several mugs of mead later, Daniel was having a really great time just enjoying the music, watching the people and occasionally he and Ashling joined in the dancing. Ashling watched her new husband as he relaxed and enjoyed her family and friends. She began to have hopes that this marriage would be one that not only offered her safety, but happiness.

Tomas leaned over to Ashling, placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "It's time for you two to be leaving now."

Ashling glanced quickly at Daniel, who was busy talking to Neala, and then back to her uncle. "Now?" she asked, blushing furiously.

"Yes, now. Neala and I will be taking the children to Fergal's home so you two can have the cottage to yourselves tonight. Tomorrow you can set out for your honeymoon place. I'll tell you how to get there tomorrow."

"All right, _Uncail_ Tomas. I'll let Daniel know."

Tomas moved over to his wife and winked at her. Neala grinned broadly at Daniel and stood to meet her husband. Daniel turned to Ashling, who was fidgeting with the ribbons that bound them together. "What's going on? Where's everyone going? I though these parties went on all night long."

"Often they do go on all night, but this party is in front of the cottage where we're going to spend our first night together and everyone's leaving to give us some privacy and peace." She blurted this out as fast as she could and couldn't meet his eyes.

"Ah!" Daniel's lips twitched in amusement as he watched this woman, who had demonstrated nothing but assurance and self-confidence since he'd met her, squirm uncomfortably at the thought of being alone with him. Well, more than alone – alone in a bed.

* * *

_Bainis_ – wedding banquet

A/N #1: Tacquitio – not Irish, but a Mexican food. A bit of shredded meat is placed in the middle of a tortilla, which is then wrapped around the meat and deep fried. Usually topped with guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Yummy! (I live in San Diego and have grown up on Mexican food.)

A/N#2: The wedding ceremony and party afterwards were taken from various accounts I read about on the internet, and my own imagination. Most of these customs were probably not around before the year 1000AD, but I just wanted to have some fun with Daniel. (Ooooh, that could so be taken in a wrong – but interesting! – way.)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Warning: This chapter has earned its T rating. It is not graphic, but if mushy love scenes are not your thing, skip the last part of this chapter.

* * *

"Come on. I'll show you one of the marriage customs from my world." Daniel stood up and led her to the front door of the cottage. He leaned past her to the door and made sure the door was unlatched. Ashling tried to walk quietly past him, but he stopped her. Looking down at her, he tried to figure out how he could do this while their hands were still tied together. "Um, Ashling? When can we untie our hands?" 

"Not until we are getting undressed for bed." She was looking down at her feet.

"Okay. Well, this may be a bit awkward then, but here goes…" He put his left hand around her back, beneath her shoulder blades and looped his right hand across her body and under her knees, pulling her left hand with his. He lifted her and carried her across the threshold and into the room, hooked his foot around the door and pushed it shut with a click as the latch dropped down into place.

"Why did you just carry me into the house? I am perfectly capable of walking."

"A long time ago people on Earth, the Romans, thought that was bad luck if when a bride entered her new home, she tripped. So, the groom carries her across the threshold to prevent bad luck." Daniel set her down. "Of course, it is supposed to be me bringing you into my home, but since my home is… Well, it's just a silly tradition."

"Daniel. I know this must be hard and strange for you. You have been so good to go along with this to protect me." She reached up with her free hand and touched his cheek with her finger. "You are a good man, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel looked around the room and saw that a fire had been laid and a large bed had been placed near the fireplace. He turned back to her. "You know, you don't have to do this tonight if you're not ready. I'll wait until you tell me when the time is right for you."

"No. Tonight is fine. I'll just get more nervous if we wait and the time is right for me to conceive now. That, after all, is the point of this marriage. To make a baby." She glanced slyly at him from the sides of her eyes. "Unless you know of another way to create a child?"

Daniel thought of the medical interventions on Earth that could help infertile couples and the Asgard cloning process, but he was pretty sure Ashling wasn't interested in either of those, even if they had been available on Aeire. "Um, no. I've seen a lot of strange things during my years of traveling the universe, but I've never seen a better way to create a baby than the old fashioned way."

"_Aintin_ Neala has left us some mead on the table. Would you like some more, husband?" That word rolled off her tongue in a way that caused something in her stomach to tingle.

"Um, if I have any more, I'm just going to fall asleep without…well, you know." Daniel was suddenly very aware that he was expected to make love to this woman he didn't know, but to whom he was married.

Ashling lifted their united hands and began to untie the knotted ribbons. Daniel worked on one knot while she did another, until they were freed. Ashling gathered up the ribbons and braided them together, tying off the ends. "This will hang over our bed for the rest of our lives together to symbolize our unity."

Daniel nodded, took the marriage knot and placed it on the headboard. He walked over to the fireplace and, kneeling down, lit the kindling that had been laid by Tomas for the newlyweds. When the flames caught and began casting their warm, flickering light about the room, he stood and crossed the room back to her.

Ashling's heart pounded in her chest so hard that she was sure he would hear it. Fear and anticipation blocked the air in her throat and she took a long, slow shaky breath, hoping to calm her trembling fingers.

Daniel stood directly in front of her, only the width of a candle flame from her quivering body. He lifted his hands to cup her face and leaned down. His eyes flickered from her eyes to her mouth and back again. He watched her tongue dart out to lick her dry lips and he felt his stomach flip. Keeping his eyes on hers, he closed the distance between their lips until his brushed hers gently. Suddenly, his stomach was doing a series of flips. He kept the pace slow and easy, hoping that her body would gradually accept his presence.

Her first kiss. Fathers and uncles didn't count. She followed his eyes as they approached hers. If she could keep contact with his eyes, she could accept this. When he touched her lips with his, her knees wobbled and she had to grab his shoulders to remain standing. His hands dropped away from her face and his arms encircled her, pulling her just close enough that she could feel the heat of his body without actually touching. He turned his head around, without breaking contact with her lips, so that he could kiss her from the other side. Breath gone, she pulled her lips away from his and gulped for air.

He watched her eyes dilate with a desire she didn't yet recognize or understand. He lowered his head again and ran his tongue lightly over her bottom lip. She shivered under his hands. He wanted her now, but knew he had to keep it slow or he'd scare her. He reached up to his neck and unfastened the broach that still kept the long cloak on, hoping that by pulling back for just a minute she'd have some time to adjust to the idea of his touch. He tossed it over onto one of the chairs. He pulled her forward again. This time, tightly against him. He could feel the softness of her breasts against his chest. He knew that she could feel the pounding of his heart next to hers.

He made her feel so safe and so warm. His body was heating hers until she thought she might burst into flames. She wanted to get closer to him, but didn't know how. Dizzy. Pounding. Heat. Too many sensations came at her all at once. She knew the mechanics of sex; had seen animals do it all her life, but she'd never felt the desire of a man pressed up against her abdomen before. She needed to get closer. To climb inside his skin and learn who this man was who was turning her brain into mush.

He knew the exact moment when she surrendered herself to him. He knew when she stopped fighting herself and just let him take the lead. When she came to trust him. Trust. God, that was more intoxicating than the feel of her body pressed up against his. He chewed on her lower lip gently with his teeth and began moving his attention down her neck and over to an ear. He could feel her rapid pulse when he tasted her neck. He felt her shudder when he slid his teeth along her ear lobe. If he didn't slow down… He stepped back again and felt the loss of her warmth across his body.

"Daniel…" Her eyes flutter open, confused and filled with desire. "Where… Why…"

Daniel knelt down in front of her and lifted one foot. He put her foot on his knee and began unlacing her sandal. She leaned slightly toward him and placed her hand on his head for balance. As he finished removing the first sandal and traded one foot for the other, her fingers began to tangle themselves in his short hair. "I would love to see you with longer hair."

"For a long time it was longer, but it was a pain in the butt to keep out of my eyes, so I cut it. But if it pleases you, I'll grow it out again." He stood as he finished with the second foot. His hands found their way to her shoulders and she stood still while he caressed them lovingly and slowly ran his hands down her arms, massaging his way to her fingers. When he reached her hands, her took her left hand and played with the ring that symbolized their united hearts. He looked back into her eyes. "I promise…"

She reached over and unhooked his belt with one hand, flinging it over to join his cloak on the chair. With a twinkle in her eye, she put both hands up on his shoulders and began running them down his chest lightly. She smiled when he closed his eyes and trembled, amazed at the power she possessed to make him hers. When she reached the bottom of his tunic, she grabbed the hem and began to tug it up. His eyes flew open and engaged hers.

"Are you ready for that?"

"I want to see you. I need to see you."

He nodded and allowed her to continue removing the tunic. When his chest was bared to her, she licked her lips unconsciously and reached for him. Her hand stopped before she made contact with his skin and he thought he would die for want of her touch. He brought up his hand to hers and guided it to his chest, pushing the palm of her hand onto his skin. Her eyes widened slightly and then narrowed with determination as she brought up her other hand to join in exploration of him. He watched the emotions fly across her face as she explored the exposed skin of his body. Her hands moved slowly across the landscape of his chest and abdomen. She stepped behind him to explore his back in the same way, while he stood for her, clenching and unclenching his fists to control the urge to finish this quickly.

Satisfied that she had learned every inch of his back with her hands, she leaned forward and placed her lips on his shoulder. His eyes flew open at the unexpected touch, but he kept still, wanting her to continue her trek over his body. She leaned closer, bringing her body up against his back and continued to kiss his shoulders while she slipped her hands under his arms and caressed his chest. Daniel began to squirm and the sensations took over.

"Oh, god, Ashling! Stop." He gritted his teeth and tried to remember just how long it had been since he'd been touched like this. He couldn't.

She froze, certain that she'd done something wrong in her ignorance. "Daniel, did I hurt you somehow?"

Daniel turned and pulled her into his arms. "No, I'm not hurt… but I'm hurting! Men are different from women…"

"Hmmm, yes, I'm becoming more aware of the differences very quickly."

"Thank god for the wonderful difference! But that's wasn't exactly what I meant. If you keep doing to me what you've been doing, um… it will be, uh… over for me too fast and you won't have any fun at all." Daniel had never had to explain this to a woman before and he was feeling both physically and emotionally uncomfortable.

"What should I do?" Ashling really wanted this to go right for him. She wanted to make him happy that he'd chosen her over his life on Earth.

"For now, how about you don't run you hands all over me. That feels just too good. Later tonight I'll let you do whatever you want, okay?" Daniel turned her faced up so he could see her eyes.

Her eyes welled up with tears and Daniel kissed them away. "Please, don't think I don't want you or that you've done anything wrong. You're incredible, and, oh, god, do I want you." He trailed kisses all over her face and back down her neck to the edge of the material that kept him from the rest of her. He turned her so her back was facing him and continued to kiss her neck, pushing her hair over her shoulder. He began unfastening the hooks running down her back, dropping a kiss over each newly exposed expanse of milky skin. When he finished, he turned her back so she faced him and stepped back, allowing her control of removing her clothing.

She looked between him and the bed several times and then took his hand and led him over to the bed. She pushed him down so that he was seated on the side of the down-stuffed mattress and pulled up his hands to the shoulders of her dress. Then using his hands, she pulled the dress slowly down her body, until it fell in a puddle at her feet. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Now, husband."

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PS: More than 70 people have checked out my last chapter, but no one reviewed! I only have one more chapter written so far, so if no one's interested I'll quit posting and just write for myself. HINT> BEG> 


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Ashling awoke snuggled deep within comfort of both the feather bed and her husband's embrace. She was half sprawled across his chest, her left leg entwined with his. Her hair flowed behind her onto her unused pillow. She grinned smugly to herself as she remembered the cries she had managed to coax from this strong, quiet man during the night.

She stirred slightly when she heard a soft knocking at the door. The door was pushed very slowly open to let in a bright shaft of light across the floor and onto the bed. Ashling knew from the sound of the foot steps that it was her aunt, so she pretended to sleep.

"Ashling," her aunt whispered, "I know you're awake. By the looks of it, you had a good night?"

Afraid to disturb Daniel, Ashing nodded briefly and flashing her aunt a contented smile.

"I just brought some fruit and fresh bread for breakfast. You should get up soon since you have to travel some distance to the hiding place." Neala grinned and winked at Ashling, then left as quietly as she had entered.

"So did your aunt see enough, or should we call her back and give her a real show?" Daniel grinned down at his wife.

She propped herself up on one elbow. "You were awake?" She snickered at him and gave him a slight slap on the shoulder.

He grabbed his shoulder and rolled around as if in serious pain. "Married only one day and my wife has shot me with an arrow and punched me into submission. I give up! I'll do anything you want! Please, just don't injure me again." Daniel laughed as her eyebrows rose almost to her hairline.

"You'll do anything I want? How about some more of what you did at three o'clock this morning? I liked that." She gave him a saucy grin and slid over so that she was straddling him.

"Um, I think I can arrange that."

XXXXXXXXXX

About an hour later, they finally left the bed. Ashling took the marriage braid from the headboard and placed it on the table, along with the clothes she would be taking for their time away.

Daniel stooped down and added some more wood to the dwindling fire. As soon as it began to heat up, he lifted a kettle full of cold water onto a metal hook and swung it around over the fire.

"That should give us some hot water for a quick wash and some tea before we leave."

He would have traded all the tea on the planet for one cup of coffee right now. He hadn't had much sleep the night before and now that he was no longer touching Ashling, he was beginning to feel it.

"God, I'm getting old." He stood and stretched, trying to work out some kinks and soreness.

"You're old? I hate to think what you could have done to me if you were younger! I'd probably be dead from exhaustion by now." Ashling came up behind Daniel and began kissing him on the shoulder, while running her hands under his arms and over his chest.

"Hey, that's what started that whole thing last night, wife! Keep that up and we'll starve to death with food on the table two feet away." He turned around in her arms and pulled her in for a hug. They just stood there together, holding on to each other and savoring the contentment that the touch brought to them.

_(He was lying on a stone altar, bleeding profusely from a wound in his side. She was tied to a stone pillar, unable to get to him. There was smoke and the cries of frightened children swirling around them. A pale face peered at her from beneath a light grey hood. Cold, dead eyes met hers. She doubled over as labor pains hit her again and she tried to stifle her screams. He turned his face toward her, smiling with reassurance through his pain. She watched as the hooded figure poured oil around her husband on the altar. He took a lit torch approached Daniel.) _

He knew when she stiffened that she was having another vision. He continued to hold her until she relaxed again. He could feel her cold tears running down his bare chest. He grasped either side of her head with his hands and pulled her back so he could look into her eyes.

"Tell me what you saw."

"I saw the same vision I saw the second time in the forest. Not with you and Sha're, but someone in a grey hood had you strapped down on an altar and was getting ready to set you on fire. I was tied down and couldn't get free to help you." She threw herself back against him and pulled him as close to her as she could get him, as though she could protect him from her vision with her body.

"Ashling, I'm right here. I'm safe. With you. Whatever happens in the future, we'll deal with it when it happens - together." He still had his P-90 and a lot of extra clips for it. He decided it would be a good idea if she taught him how to use a bow. He determined he would continue with the lok'nel Teal'c had taught him over the years. It might also be a good idea to teach Ashling some hand-to-hand combat moves.

"Come. Let's get washed up, get dressed and then we'll get something to eat. After last night we could both use some good nourishment." He grinned at her and was rewarded with a shaky smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, they were headed back to the stargate. Tomas had told Ashling how to get to the village's "honeymoon cottage" that was hidden in the mountains, a day's walk past the stargate. They were sent off with a handcart filled with enough food and supplies for a month, when someone from the village would bring fresh supplies for then.

Daniel checked his note on the DHD and found it still hadn't been moved. He hadn't realized how much he'd been counting on a rescue until he knew that there wasn't one coming soon. Daniel remained quiet during the rest of the day's hike, thinking about his home and the friends he'd left behind.

Ashling knew something was bothering him, but decided that he would share with her if he wanted to. She'd just wait for him to say something.

They arrived at the small village honeymoon hut early during the second afternoon. It was just one room and the only furniture was a large down bed, a small table and two chairs. They spent the remainder of daylight cleaning out the cobwebs, hauling water from the stream nearby and washing dishes. Ashling's aunt had packed fresh linen for the bed, but they hauled the down mattress outside and draped it over a line that had been strung between two trees for drying clothes. Daniel beat as much dust as he could out of the mattress before they put it back on their bed. By the time they'd finished preparing the cottage and had eaten a quick meal of bread and cheese, they were both exhausted from two days of hiking and cleaning, - and little sleep - that they simply collapsed together into the bed and were asleep within seconds.

XXXXXXXXXX

Within a week they had established a routine. They awakened when the sun came up and completed necessary chores in the early morning. They spent the afternoon roaming the area; fishing or hunting if needed. Ashling told Daniel about her childhood and how she had been raised to rule her people. She was concerned now about how her father would handle her disappearance. She knew that her aunt and uncle would let him know she was safe, but fear of the Prior's influence over her brother frequently worried her.

Early during the morning of their tenth day in the cottage, Daniel followed the nearby stream to the lake they had discovered their second day there. He stood on the shore looking over the gently moving water and thought about the many places his life had taken him. His life was divided into time periods by events; his parent's death, college, Abydos and Sha're, Jack's return to Abydos, Sha're's death, his first ascension and descension.

He'd closed himself off from people most of his life. His study and work had always been at the center of his life and people had taken second place for him. Even with Sha're he'd been more eager to explore and learn than he had been to let her know him. He'd always kept the very most important part of himself locked away for safe keeping. Only Jack had been able to penetrate through the wall he'd built around himself. Jack understood why he'd closed himself off and he frequently forced Daniel to really look at what he'd been doing to himself, just as Daniel had been able to get through to Jack during that first mission to Abydos.

Daniel was very good at reading other people and meeting their needs, but he'd never allowed himself the luxury of time to get to know himself and find ways to give him what he needed. The past two weeks had been the longest time he'd ever spent thinking about who he was and what he wanted from life. He had always shoved his needs and wants aside for others. He was emotionally exhausted and starved. Maybe Ashling was his second chance at happiness. Maybe she was his last chance.

Ashling had been watching him for some time. He hadn't moved for almost half an hour and she wondered what was going through his mind. She marveled that she was allowed to be a small part of this man's life. Daniel was continuously thoughtful and gentle. And even though she had no one to compare him to, she was aware that when they made love, he always thought of her pleasure before his. Yet, something was missing. There was caring, but no passion. She knew he didn't love her. She hadn't expected him to. He'd been forced into this marriage for her sake. There was a perpetual aura of sadness about him that she wasn't able to break through. She wanted very much to make him feel content and to be happy that he'd chosen to stay with her rather than wait fruitlessly for a way home. It suddenly occurred to her that even though she'd shared a great deal about her life and people, he'd never told her one thing about where he'd come from or who he really was, except that he was an explorer of other worlds.

She rose from the rock where she'd been sitting, watching Daniel from a distance, and quietly approached him. She leaned against his back and slid her hands up under his arms where he had them folded across his chest. She entwined her fingers in his and leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing with sadness for him.

Daniel looked down at the long slender fingers mingled among his and absentmindedly began running his thumbs over her knuckles. They stood together, husband and wife in body, but not in spirit, and both longed for what they were lacking but didn't know how to achieve. Eventually he twisted in her arms to face her. He brought her head onto his shoulder and cradled her snuggly against him, hoping that her warmth would find a crack in the wall around his heart and seep through.

Ashling sensed the loneliness he felt and not knowing any other way to reach him, she offered her body. She reached up and pulled his head down into a soft kiss filled with longing and need. His body responded and he lowered her to the sand along the shore of the lake.

Ashling's eyes flew open. "Here? Outside?"

Daniel gave her a shy grin. "Who's going to see? The fish?"

She chuckled and reached down to pull his tunic over his head.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8

Daniel and Ashling had been in seclusion for a month, when Daniel spotted Tomas and Neala approaching from between the hills surrounding the meadow where the cottage was located. He went inside and brought Ashling out, who ran to greet her aunt and uncle. Daniel hurried down to help bring the handcart filled with fresh supplies up to the hut. The four people worked quickly to empty the supplies into the cottage.

Tomas dragged Daniel along on a walk to the lake so that Neala could have some private time with Ashling.

"Ashling, tell me how marriage is working for you." Neala didn't bother to try and hide her curiosity from her niece.

"Daniel is…wonderful. He's considerate, gentle and strong. He's everything any woman could need in a husband." Ashling answered while continuing to drag the large sacks of flour over to store away in the open cupboard.

"But?" Neala stopped her work and turned to face her niece.

"But what? He is a good husband." Ashling kept her face turned away from her aunt.

Neala walked over to her and stood, waiting for her to stand. Ashling stopped her work and stood, finally facing the older woman. "You are keeping something from me." Neala caressed Ashling's cheek, then dropped her hand to the younger woman's shoulder, keeping her from turning away.

Ashling sighed and closed her eyes. "He's so distant. Not physically. Physically he's always here when I need help or want him. He's willing to help with all the little chores that need to be done in a home. He has quickly learned how to hunt with a bow and arrow. He is a good provider, but…" Her eyes drifted down to the floor as her voice softened. "Well, he's never shared anything about who he is. Do you know that I have no idea if he has any family? He's never mentioned his parents, or brothers and sisters, or aunts and uncles, or cousins – nothing."

Neala looked out the door and watched as Tomas and Daniel walked away from the cottage toward the lake. She saw her husband put his hand on Daniel's shoulder as they walked together, a common gesture for him. Even from the distance, she could see Daniel's posture change. He straightened up and she could feel his muscles stiffen. She walked over to the door and watched as Tomas hesitated briefly and then removed his hand from Daniel's shoulder. She could almost hear Daniel let out his breath in relief of having Tomas' hand removed.

Neala looked over her shoulder at Ashling, who had moved and was standing just behind her, watching her husband and uncle walk away. As the two men disappeared into the trees by the stream, the two women turned back into the hut. Neala tugged Ashling over to one of the chairs and gently pushed her down. She took a seat in the other chair and faced her niece.

"Ashling, some people are very private about their feelings. Daniel is a good man, but I sense a need in him to protect himself from emotional pain. The only thing we really know about his past it that his wife died after a brief marriage." She scooted her chair a little closer.

"You saw that he was with her when she died violently. Can you imagine how he must have felt? A strong man, like Daniel, would believe that it is his job to protect his family. Don't you think he might be feeling that it's his fault she died? That he should have prevented it somehow?" Neala placed her hand over Ashling's fingers that were nervously picking at the table between them. With her other hand, Neala turned Ashling's face toward hers.

"You know, he's in that position again. He married you to protect you from your brother and to help you gain your rightful place as ruler of Aeire. Don't you think that might bring back those feelings of inadequacy? Don't you think he might be struggling with the fear that he might fail you, as he feels he failed her? And couldn't that fear keep him from wanting to love you, as he did her? He probably thinks he couldn't survive a loss like that again."

Neala released Ashling and leaned back in her chair, waiting for Ashling to process what she had said. Ashling turned her grey eyes to her aunt's identically colored ones and a tear slowly trickled down her cheek. "Oh, _Aintin_, I have been so selfish! I've been thinking about what I don't have and not about what I do have. We've been alone now for a month, and I don't feel like I know him any better than I did on our wedding day. That's been making me feel sorry for myself."

Ashling got up and went back to lean against the frame of the open door, looking toward the lake where Daniel had gone with her uncle. "I haven't even thought about how much he's lost. I can't imagine losing my home and family and know that I've have no chance to come back. I guess it would be very difficult to talk about it with anyone." She turned back into the room to face her aunt. "What should I do? How can I help him?"

Neala rose from her chair, walked over to Ashling and gathered her in her arms. "Ah, little one, you can't make him share his heart. A man is different from a woman. He will feel loved by you as you share your body freely with him. 'A man gives love to get sex and a woman gives sex to get love.' An old saying, but often true. Give to him and don't ask anything from him that he doesn't freely give to you. Eventually, he'll hear your heart and share his."

"_Aintin_ Neala, you are so wise in the ways of men and marriage. _Uncail_ Tomas is lucky to have you."

"Aye, that he is girl and I won't be letting him forget it!" Neala leaned over and gave her niece a kiss on the cheek. "You know, it took years for me to teach your uncle how much he loves me. It doesn't happen overnight. Be patient. He'll learn."

Neala pulled back into the hut and began laying kindling for a fire while Ashling finished putting away the supplies. After several minutes of working in silence, Neala cleared her throat and asked, "So, is there a bun in the oven yet?"

Ashling dropped the crock of butter she'd been holding onto the table with a thud. "_Aintin_! That is something between a husband and wife!"

"Not this little one, Ashling. The first child you bare will become future ruler. That makes the answer one every good citizen of Aeire wants to know. Are you hiding something from Daniel?" Neala's eyes twinkled at the though of a new baby in the family for her to spoil.

"Well, my link with the moon has been broken, but it's too soon to know for sure. In another month, when you come back again, I'll know." Ashling picked up a damp cloth and began wiping down the table. "Um, I haven't said anything to Daniel yet because I don't want to frighten him."

"Frighten him? You think he wouldn't want a child? He's knows that his responsibility in this marriage was to protect you from Iollan and to place a child in your belly. Why would that frighten him?" Neala dug out a couple of onions and began prepare them for making a stew for supper.

"You make it sound so cold and…and hard. As though his only use is like a horse sent out to stud and once I'm with child he's back in the barn, waiting for his next opportunity to sire another foal." Ashling plunked several potatoes on the table to scrub and dice for the stew. "I'll not be saying anything to him until I'm sure."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tomas dropped his hand away from Daniel's shoulder as they walked away from the cottage toward the lake. He was mildly surprised at the younger man's uncomfortable reaction to the casual gesture. It appeared that Daniel had more going on in his mind than the charms a new bride could offer.

"So, Daniel, how's married life?" Tomas hoped to divert Daniel's attention to something more pleasant.

"Fine. You know I've been married before, so it's not nearly the adjustment I had to make the first time." Daniel kept his eyes focused on the path ahead, not wanting to look into Tomas' face.

"Yes, I knew you were married for a short time and that your wife died." Tomas stopped, waiting for Daniel to explain or add something else to his comment about his first marriage.

"Ashling's been teaching me how to hunt with a bow and arrow."

_Well, that was certainly a quick change of subject_, Tomas thought to himself.

"It's certainly much more challenging than I would have ever thought. I think she was embarrassed that her husband was unskilled in the manly art of archery." Daniel smiled at the memory of Ashling's shock when Daniel asked her to teach him how to use the archery equipment.

Tomas glanced sideways at Daniel as they continued their slow walk. "Ah, Ashling was brought up with more 'masculine' skills than most of our young women because she's the next ruler of Aeire. As such, she'll be expected to lead our army, if needed. She's really very good, better than most men, at fighting. She's also very educated."

Daniel was aware of Ashling's intelligence. He'd been teaching her how to play chess with the travel set he had in his backpack and while she hadn't beaten him yet, he could see her quick understanding of the game's strategy. He had hoped to find time to play a game with Sam during their last mission. Sam. Jack. Teal'c. Home. _Oh, god, am I ever going to get used to being alone?_

For eight years, he'd been able drop in on Sam in her office to talk out a solution to a problem, or count on Jack to wander into his lab and fiddle with priceless objects as if they were children's toys. Teal'c had been available at night when he couldn't sleep because of nightmares. Then they were all gone. Sam to Area 51. Teal'c to organize the free Jaffa. Jack to Washington. And he'd been alone – again. Now he was gone and had little chance of seeing any of them again.

Ashling wasn't aware that he'd walked back to the DHD twice in the month they'd been at the cottage. He was still hoping they hadn't given up searching for him. He knew Jack and Sam would never give up, but he could hardly expect Landry to permit a continuous search.

Tomas watched Daniel's expression flicker though several emotions before settling into a frown. This was not the face of a man on his honeymoon, when his only concern should be how soon he could get his bride back into bed. He remembered his month at this cottage with Neala and how they simply lived to be with each other, knowing that when they returned, they'd have to shoulder responsibilities again, and willingly for sure. But for that one month they'd only needed to think about each other. Daniel seemed to have much more on his mind than his beautiful – and willing – bride.

Hoping to lighten Daniel's mood, Tomas asked, "So, any signs of a new _páiste_?

Daniel stumbled, thrown out of his sad reverie by the unexpected question. "Um, well, she's…" He blinked several times and then continued, "Ashling hasn't said anything to me, but in the month that we've been together, she hasn't had… Um, there's been no…" _For god's sake! I'm an anthropologist! I'd have no trouble talking about the mating habits of any culture, but I can't answer a simple question about a baby from my wife's uncle!_

"Ah! So, it's possible she's carrying a child. That is wonderful news." Tomas was amused by Daniel's uncomfortable behavior, but glad to see that he hadn't be too embarrassed to fulfill his job as a husband. He unconsciously clapped Daniel on the shoulder in congratulations, only to have Daniel pull away at the too familiar touch.

The path finally broke through the trees and the two men found themselves on the shore of the lake. Tomas turned to Daniel, "Fall will be here soon. It gets very cold up in these mountains. I brought you an ax and a saw so that you can begin to cut wood for fire on the cold days. If Ashling is with child, then you'll be coming back down to the village in the early spring for the birth, but that means a long, cold winter. Next month we'll bring enough supplies for you for about five or six months. Between that and hunting, you two should be able to get through the winter quite well."

Daniel nodded. "I really should get back and help Ashling put the heavy things away." He chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "Um, Tomas? Ashling doesn't know that I think she's pregnant, so don't say anything to her. She needs to be able to tell me when she's ready."

They headed back to the cottage.

**SGC**

Sam hesitated at General Landry's door. If he had been Hammond or O'Neill she would have known what to expect, but she didn't know Landry well yet. Throwing back her shoulders, she knocked on the door.

"Come in, Colonel."

Sam entered and stood in front of the large desk that dominated the room. "You wanted to see me, sir."

"Sit, Colonel." General Landry looked up and dreaded what he had to say next. "I know how much Dr. Jackson means to you… Hell, how much he means to Earth, but I can't authorize any more time spent on a fruitless search." He raised his hand in a gesture that said stop, when he saw her open her mouth to begin a protest. "Look. You've spent over a month focusing on a search and no trace of him has been found. Our allies are all aware of his disappearance. You've done everything you could think of the figure out what happened. It's time to stop."

Sam knew when the subject was closed. "Yes, sir." She stood and turned to leave, then hesitated.

"Colonel?" Landry was impatient to his next meeting.

"Sir… It's just that… God, sir, it's Daniel! How am I supposed to just give up?" Sam's blue eyes betrayed her feelings for the missing man.

"Colonel, you just do what soldiers have been doing for thousands of years. You suck it up and just go on."

* * *

_páiste_ – child 


	9. Chapter 9

It had been a week since Tomas and Neala left and Ashling still hadn't brought up the possibility of a pregnancy to Daniel. She stood at the table stripping meat from the bone of the latest deer Daniel had killed, preparing the meat to be dried for winter.

Daniel was pacing around the small cottage, totally at a loss for something to do.

Ashling gripped her knife harder and followed his progress with her eyes. "Daniel, if you circle this table one more time, I'm going to… Well, I don't know what I'm going to do, but please, please stop pacing."

Daniel stopped. He glared at his wife and, knowing that he was being unreasonable but unable, or unwilling, to stop himself, he just let lose almost two months of frustration.

"What the hell am I supposed to do? There's nothing on this god-forsaken planet for me. Nothing I have worked for my entire life is here. None of my friends are here. I have virtually no chance of ever going home again. I'm stuck out in the wilderness with absolutely nothing! No work! No friends! No challenge to keep me going!" If it hadn't been pitch dark outside, he would have been out there punching trees or something – anything to work off some of the frustration he was feeling. "I can't live like this much longer and stay sane."

Ashling calmly set down the knife and wiped her hands clean. Turning slowly toward her husband, she set her fists on her hips and faced him, head on.

"Look here, Daniel Jackson, you've no right to take out your anger me. I didn't land you on this planet. I didn't separate you from your work or your friends. All I've done is to provide you with a home, a possibility of a family and a body for you to use whenever you want." She moved toward him, shaking a finger in his face, her voice rising slightly in volume. "And don't you be expecting a warm body tonight in your bed if you keep this up, husband, because you'll be sleeping elsewhere."

Ashling stood nose to nose with the shocked man, fire in her grey eyes, challenging him to continue yelling at her.

Daniel met her glare with one of his own. He raised his finger, prepared to verbally retaliate, when the spirit when out of him and he slumped, defeated.

"Oh, god. Ashling, I'm so sorry. None of this is your fault. You've been wonderful and I've learned so much from you about your world, but I'm so frustrated. I have no control over my life at all. There's not one thing I've done in the past two months that has been my choice." He turned from her, removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed fighting for self control. He put his glasses back on and turned to go out the door.

"Daniel," her voice had lost its fire and was soft and warm. "Don't isolate yourself from me. Don't leave now. I know our marriage wasn't one either of us would have chosen, but it's all we have." She reached out and laid her hand on his arm.

He looked down at the hand she had placed on his arm and saw her _claddaugh_, the ring he had used to promise that their two hands would hold but one heart. He hadn't done anything to keep that promise. He still felt as though they were two strangers who shared a bed. This was his fault. She had opened her heart to him and he had ignored it, turned away from her, wallowing in his own misfortunes. He closed his eyes, frowned and sighed deeply.

She stood waiting. She knew that the future of her marriage depended upon what he did in the next few seconds. Either he would open up to her and let her share his burdens or he would close himself off and they would remain two people, each alone in the marriage.

Daniel knew that if he chose not to share his past with her, that his greatest fear would be realized; his fear of being alone. His decision.

He opened his eyes and looked up, as if searching for courage from the heavens. His eyes glistened with unshed tears of sorrow, of frustration, and of longing.

She yearned to pull him to her and kiss away his sorrows, but she knew that physical closeness was not what he needed right now. He needed to accept her on a much deeper level; soul-to-soul.

Daniel pulled his glasses off and swiped the back of his hand across his eyes. He set the glasses down on the table and, chewing on his lower lip, pulled Ashling down onto one of the chairs while he sat in the other.

She sighed with relief, knowing that he'd made the choice to open himself to her.

"I was born in a place called Egypt…" Daniel spent the next hour telling her about his life. Sharing his disappointments and triumphs. His loves and losses. She sat still for the whole time, not daring to utter a word or move a muscle for fear of snapping the fragile thread that had begun to weave their souls together.

Nearing the end, Daniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "God, I can't believe I'm going to do this. I'm going to share something with you that I've never shared with anyone else before. Not Jack, Sam, Teal'c, or even, especially not, Sha're. You know that she and I were married for a year and had no children during that time. That was because I did everything I could to prevent a pregnancy. I stayed away from her each month when she was most likely to become pregnant. I'd go off exploring for about 10 days each month."

Ashling just nodded, hoping he'd explain why. If he could tell her why he didn't want a child with his first wife, then he would add many strands to the delicate web binding their souls together.

"There were a couple of reasons I didn't a baby. First, I wasn't sure I would be a good father. I'm very selfish, Ashling. I've always put my work above my relationships and I knew that if we had a baby I'd either have to stop that or become a father in name only. Second, I was terrified of losing Sha're in childbirth. There were no modern doctors or hospitals if a serious problem arose."

He closed his eyes, as if he couldn't tell her the rest if he couldn't see her watching him. "Finally, I knew that if I had a family, I'd never be able to go home again. I couldn't leave a child of mine and I couldn't imagine bringing Sha're back to my world. Part of why I loved her was the connection with her world she gave to me."

Daniel leaned forward for the first since he'd begun talking and took her hand. "So you see, you've had the misfortune to be married to a very selfish man. A man who has a hard time putting others first. I hope you can eventually get past all that stuff and still want to keep me around."

"If God sends you down a stony path, may he give you sturdy shoes." Ashling knew this would bring him out of his self pity.

"Wha.. What the hell does that mean?" Daniel brought his eyebrows together in confusion. He'd just bared his soul to this woman, told her things he'd never told anyone else, and she responded with nonsense? Who was she – the monk from Kheb?

"Daniel, your life has been filled with more difficulty and sorrow than the lives of twenty average men, but you're strong. You've come through those challenges and become an honorable, passionate, unselfish man."

Daniel's eyebrows rose and he blinked in disbelief.

"Yes! I said unselfish. Daniel, just how many men would have given up every hope and dream they had to protect a stranger? How many men would bind themselves to a strange woman for the rest of their lives and not expect anything in return? How many men would put their lives on the line for someone they love, let alone a stranger? Daniel, I've known many men - most leaders and fine, strong men they are – but I've never known a man to be willing to give everything he has and everything he is to help someone else the way you have."

She slid off the chair and knelt down in front of him. "You are the finest man I've ever met and I feel honored to be allowed to share a part of your life, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel sat, stunned. No one had ever done for him what she just did – accept him as he was. Even Sha're had tried to stop his wondering off to explore. _Where had she been fifteen years ago? Oh, yeah, on another planet and only a young teenager at the time._

Ashling stood, grabbing both of Daniel's hands. "Now, husband, if you don't want to starve this winter, I have work to finish." She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, whispering into his ear. "I think I will let you warm my bed tonight."

Daniel grinned and his eyes crossed as he thought of the possibilities.

XXXXXXXXXX

Six weeks after their wedding, Ashling was sure she was pregnant, but still hadn't said anything to Daniel yet. After he'd confessed his reluctance to have a baby with Sha're, she wasn't at all sure how he would take the news that he was going to be a father after all. She watched him outside chopping wood for the coming winter, his muscles flexing enticingly under his bronzed skin. She was a lucky woman. Not only was her husband kind and intelligence, but he was wonderful to look at.

Daniel felt her eyes on his naked back and he turned to see desire flash across her face. He grinned and waved at her. She flushed with embarrassment at having been caught lusting after him. He laughed out loud at her and she threw the spoon she held in her hand at him, clipping his arm with it. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment, then grinned and began to stalk toward her. Her eyes widened in mock terror and she fled from the doorway toward the safety of the woods.

Grinning broadly now, Daniel dropped his ax and took off after her. She gathered her skirts up and ran as fast as she could, looking for a hiding place among the trees. She glanced behind her and saw that he hadn't yet come around the corner of the house. She leapt up high and caught a lower branch and swung herself up into the tree. She climbed up several branches and sat quietly, waiting.

Daniel came running around the cottage and headed for the woods, sure that she was leading him deeper into the trees. He had run for about a minute before he realized that he couldn't hear her running through the bed of dried autumn leaves that carpeted the ground. He stopped and listened, but didn't hear anything. Remembering the first time he'd seen her, he began scanning the trees until he saw the flash of her bright red skirt between the leaves.

"Damn. I lost her. Oh, well, I guess I'll go back to chopping wood." Daniel walked noisily back to the cottage and waited around the corner, just out of her eyesight.

Ashling sat in the tree for several minutes and couldn't believe that he would have given up that quickly. That did not seem like the Daniel she knew. However, she would never finish her work sitting up in the tree, so she climbed back down and dropped to the ground carefully, suddenly remembering that she was responsible for another life. She placed her hand protectively over her still flat abdomen and walked slowly back to the hut.

Daniel heard her drop from the tree and grinned. He flattened himself against the whitewashed rough stone wall and waited. She came around the corner, her head down and her hand cradling her unborn child. Daniel was punched in the gut with feelings of awe when he saw the beautiful woman, with flowing black hair, intelligent grey eyes and a graceful figure. All thoughts of playful revenge evaporated and he just stood watching her come toward him. _She belongs to me. The child she carries is mine._

She lifted her head when she noticed Daniel waiting for her. Their eyes met briefly and then Daniel's eyes drifted down to where she held their unborn child. His eyes darkened with emotion and both stood frozen with uncertainty. His eyes came back up to meet hers and his eyebrows rose in silent question. She nodded once. He closed the space between them and stood inches from her. His eyes once again drifted downward as his hand reached forward to join hers to embrace the new life growing within her.

"You realize, I've known since before your aunt and uncle were here." The gentle tone of his voice took away any sting the words might have had.

"How could you? I've just become sure myself." She savored the warm caress of his hand over their child.

"You forget, I was married before and became familiar with the rhythms of a woman's body. I knew the time was past for your monthly flow. I also knew that your breasts had become tender and you tire more easily." Daniel removed his hand from hers and pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"At first I wasn't sure and didn't want to say anything, but after you told me how you didn't want children with Sha're, I was afraid to tell you." She held her face against his chest and her words were muffled.

"Oh, Ashling. I'm so sorry. That was ten years ago and I've changed so much since then. I've always held life to be precious, but the past couple of years I've realized how much I want to be a father and be a part of bringing life into existence. To nurture a child and help him – or her – grow into a wonderful adult." He leaned his cheek against the silk of her hair. "I can't wait to see our child."

* * *

A/N: This is the last chapter that I have written so far, so I'm not sure when the next will get posted. With the Holidays in full swing and family decending upon me from all over the Western US (I have 5 brothers and sisters and 13 nieces and nephews) time is short this week. So, I probably won't have the next chapter until next week some time after everyone's gone home.  



	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Company's gone! Yea! Love to see family come - and love to see them go. Back to your regularly scheduled program.

* * *

The months passed – sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly. Daniel learned how to relax a little more and just enjoy the life he was living rather than worry about where he couldn't be. He taught Ashling to read and speak English and found that she had a talent for languages. She taught him to play a celtic harp and the flute – something he picked up quickly as he already knew how to play the piano. They spent the cold winter days and nights bundled up warmly in front of the fire and in the large bed. They marveled at each change in Ashling's body as their child grew.

Early in the spring, when Ashling was about seven months pregnant, they knew it was time to hike back to the village. If they waited much longer, she wouldn't be able to make the trip and the possibility of an early birth concerned them both. They packed what they needed into the handcart they had come with and said a bittersweet farewell to the honeymoon cottage, knowing that their life was going to be very different from this point on.

It took them three days to hike back to the village, rather than the one-and-a-half days to get there, due to Ashling's slower pace. Daniel saw that his note was still fastened to the DHD and he knew for certain that Landry had quit looking for him. He also knew that Sam, Jack and Teal'c would never quit harassing their allies or give up hoping that he might be found.

When they reached the village, Neala hurried them into her home quickly. Once inside she threw her arms around Ashling for a welcoming hug and a pat on her large stomach.

"I'm sorry I've hurried you inside, but over the past few months the worshipers of the Ori have been coming to the village frequently and I didn't want them to know you are back. Iollan's men have scoured the village several times, looking for you." Neala pushed them both over to the benches around the table and began scrounging around for some food while she talked.

"Iollan told me that your father has become very ill due to worry about you," Neala hissed through her teeth in a sound of disgust. "I think he's hidden your father away so he can search for you unencumbered. I hear he'll be taking a bride in a few days. I'm sure he intends to crown himself as heir apparent at the same time."

Neala set two plates of food before the stunned couple. She nodded toward them and gestured for them to eat. Wiping her hands on her apron she sat down on the bench next to Ashling. "And that's not all! Your sisters are no longer allowed in court. He's keeping all of them locked away in their rooms. Says they're in mourning for you and in prayer for the illness of your father. I think he's planning to get rid of all of them so they can't possibly threaten his take over of the throne."

She stopped long enough to take a deep breath and appeared to be ready to continue when Ashling stopped her with a wave of her hand. "_Aintin_, stop for a minute and give me have time to take this all in." Ashling picked at her food and looked across the table to Daniel, who was quietly eating.

Daniel reached across the table and took Ashling's hand for a moment, giving her a supporting squeeze. "Neala," Daniel turned to his wife's aunt, "what about the Prior? Has Iollan let him convert more people?"

"Oh, don't get me started on that subject! Iollan has let the Prior do whatever he wants as long as the Prior supports Iollan in his quest for control of Aeire. There have been mysterious sicknesses that only the Prior could heal. Many people took this as a sign that he does represent the "true" god. I swear people have lost any good sense they had!" Neala threw up her hands in a display of frustration. "The whole world's gone crazy! Ashling, you've come back just in time. You've got to stop Iollan's marriage and find your father."

"Neala," Daniel answered, "she's not in any physical shape to take power now. The baby's due in about two months and I'm not going to allow her to risk her health, or the baby's, right now."

Ashling set her spoon down quietly in her soup bowl, folded her hands carefully in her lap and faced her husband. "Daniel, you know how much I respect you, but this is my business. I was bred and raised to rule Aeire and I'll not allow a big belly to keep me from saving my people." Ashling's voice rose in volume as she stood and leaned toward her husband. "You'll not stop me from going home and facing my brother. He must be stopped and stopped now! If you don't like it, then you can stay here and hide, but I'm leaving tomorrow with or without you, Daniel Jackson!"

Daniel sat blinking at his wife who, at the moment, towered over him threateningly. He finally recovered his voice, stood and faced her square on. "I will do what is necessary to protect you and our child. If that means that I have to tie you to the bed for the next two months, then so be it. I will not watch another woman I'm responsible for die!" Daniel's face lost all color and he fled out the door.

Ashling stood still, shocked and speechless. Neala hurried out the door after Daniel. She found him at the back of the hut, leaning against the wall, hands covering his face. Reassured that he wasn't leaving, she went back inside to Ashling, who hadn't moved since Daniel left.

"Ashling, you have a habit of speaking before your brain catches up to your tongue! Do you have any idea what you've just done to that man? Do you not remember that he saw his first wife killed in front of his eyes? Do you not understand that he will do whatever he must to keep that from happening to you?" Neala ran her hands down Ashling's arms and clasped her hands. "Go and talk to him. The two of you will work something out that will satisfy both of you."

Ashling walked slowly out the door to the back of the cottage where she found Daniel still leaning against the whitewashed wall of the hut. His ankles were crossed, his head was down and his arms were folded across his chest in self-protection. Ashling's stomach lurched as the enormity of how she had hurt him struck her.

She walked over to him and stood a whisper away while he continued to ignore her presence. She reached out and laid a hand on his arm. "Daniel, I'm so sorry. I didn't think…"

He interrupted, "No, you didn't think! My 'job' in this marriage is to get you pregnant – done that – and to keep you safe from your brother. If you won't allow me to do that, I might as well disappear into the woods and never be seen by you again." His eyes narrowed with anger. "You've got what you wanted from me. Go, do whatever you want." He turned and stalked into the woods behind the cottage.

Ashling stood in shock. She'd lived with him for almost eight months and never had she seen him come close to being that angry. She walked slowly back to her aunt, who waited inside.

"_Aintin_ Neala, I've never seen him so angry. I've driven him away."

Neala drew Ashling into an enfolding hug and let Ashling cry for several minutes. Finally, she pulled Ashling away and asked, "Now, what are you going to do about it? Are you going after him, or are you going to wait for him to come back to you?"


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: So sorry about the time delay in posting, but my muse took off for parts unknown. Personally, I think she went to the Bahamas at Christmas and just came back today. I've only reviewed this once, and it hasn't been beta'd, so let me know if there are any mistakes and I'll correct them. Thanks for sticking with this.

* * *

**SCG**

Sam waited at the bottom of the ramp. Teal'c had been away from the SGC for almost a month and she missed the last remaining member of the original SG-1 team. She usually went to Daniel when she was wrestling with a decision, but Daniel was the problem. He'd been gone for eight months and she was having more trouble dealing with this disappearance than she'd had when he'd ascended the first time. At least then she knew he was still around – sort of. He had showed up now and again when one or another of the team was in trouble. But this time, they had no idea what had happened to him. He could be dead or trapped in some kind of limbo or captured by a rogue Goa'uld or an Ori - or he could have been made king and be living it up on some remote planet like Maybourne. She needed to know.

The iris dilated, revealing the event horizon; then Teal'c stepped through onto the metal ramp silently. It fascinated Sam how such a large man could move so quietly. Her tensed neck muscles relaxed as she stepped forward to greet her friend.

"Teal'c. It's good to see you." Sam raised a hand to hug the Jaffa, but then stopped and just grinned at him.

"SamanthaCarter. You are a vision for irritated oculars." Teal'c flashed a small grin and bowed toward Sam.

Mitchell, who had been waiting with Sam, glanced at his fellow Lt. Colonel and raised an eyebrow in question.

"A sight for sore eyes, Cam." Sam was so glad to see her friend that she missed the smirk on Mitchell's face. "Teal'c. There's something I need to discuss with you. Come see me in my lab after you've checked in with Landry."

Teal'c nodded his agreement and continued up the stairs to the briefing room to meet with General Landry.

XXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, Teal'c entered Sam's lab to find her staring at her laptop screen with a blank look on her face. He observed her for a few moments and realized that her eyes were unfocused and she was not thinking about her work. _This is most unusual behavior for Colonel Carter._

Teal'c crossed the room and stood opposite the scientist, waiting. Within a few seconds her eyes focused and she looked up in surprise to find Teal'c standing quietly.

"Teal'c! I didn't hear you come in."

"Indeed. Had I not known better, it would have appeared to me as though you were in a deep state of Kel'nor'eem."

Sam shook her head and gave him an embarrassed grin. "No. I was just thinking… about Daniel."

Teal'c raised his head slightly and an impassive mask descended over his features. He lifted his eyes so that they were no longer on Sam's face, but unfocused above her head, echoing the look she had had when he entered the lab.

Sam looked down at her fingers as they fiddled with the corner of her laptop. "He's been missing for eight months now." She drew her eyes up to her friend's face. "God, Teal'c. I miss him."

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back and widened his stance. He simply looked into her eyes and nodded in understanding.

"The Tok'ra are almost all gone now and the few that are left don't have friendly feelings towards us right now. Especially since my dad…." Sam's voice wavered slightly. "Well, anyway. The Asgard are busy rebuilding and don't seem to have any ships to spare. Thor has promised that if they hear anything, they'll let us know. Landry won't let us use the new ship, the Odyssey, to search."

She shifted her weight on the stool and shut her laptop. "I'm having a really hard time keeping positive about his disappearance." She stood and began pacing behind her lab table. "It's beginning to affect my work. Teal'c, nothing has ever done that before. I've always been able to lose myself in my work. Now I can't focus on anything."

She walked around the table and placed a hand on his massive arm. "Teal'c, I've been thinking about asking for a leave of absence. I'm not doing anyone any good like this. Maybe I could go off world and search from there."

Teal'c looked down into his friend's trouble blue eyes. His free hand drifted over to cover the hand she still had on his arm. "I believe that you could be of much more use here at the SGC. You would not have access to the technology, resources or people that you have here."

Sam visibly wilted. "You're right. It's just that I feel so useless and frustrated. If I knew for sure he was dead… I need to know what happened. I can't just give up, no matter what Landry says."

"Indeed."

**Aeire**

Daniel leaned against a birch trunk and closed his eyes. He'd tried to be happy here, but without something constructive to do all he could think about was home. He cared about Ashling and wanted to do what was needed to help her defeat the Ori, but it was difficult to forget about Jack, Teal'c, Sam and the SGC. He'd managed to build a life on Earth that he'd been happy with and now that had been wrenched from him. Again.

_Time to go back. Sulking never solved anything and I did promise to help Ashling._ Daniel turned back to toward the hut and saw Ashling standing at the edge of the wooded area, waiting. He strode purposefully, approaching his wife with determination.

He stopped an arms length in front of her and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I stomped off. I just needed to think – alone."

"And I'm sorry for trying to dictate to you, as though you were under my control instead of being my equal in marriage." She took a small step closer to him and reached for his hand. "I'll listen to what you have to say before I make a decision." She unconsciously draped an arm over her belly, "This is my child too, and I don't want to do anything that could harm him – or her." She allowed a shy grin to soften her face as she looked up into Daniel's face.

"Okay, that's all I ask. I'll do what I must to protect you and the baby from harm. You need to know that the both of you are my first priority, not your brother or the Ori – until the baby's born, then we can work together to stop them." Daniel leaned down and softly kissed the top of her head and then pulled her close for a hug.

They went back to the hut to discuss what should be done next to protect Ashling and the baby and still confront Iollan and the Ori. They entered and sat at the table with Neala and Tomas.

Daniel closed his eyes in thought for a moment, "Just before I left, my people were able to develop an inhibitor which negates the Prior's powers. I have one in my pack. We can use that to temporarily stop the Prior, but it's not permanent. We still need to come up with a way to stop him and Iollan. If we can do that, then Ashling has a shot at regaining her throne."

Neala, Tomas and Ashling exchanged confirming looks, information flowing among them without words. Ashling nodded to Daniel. "We leave tomorrow."

"No. Here I put my foot down, Ashling. You've just spent days hiking through the forest and you're exhausted. We spend two days here for you to rest and then we'll leave. That is not up for discussion." Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back to glare at her.

Ashling's chin rose a fraction and her eyes flashed with anger as she confronted her husband. Neala and Tomas attempted to control the grins threatening to appear as they watched the battle of wills between the younger husband and wife.

Finally, Ashling nodded in agreement. "All right, but we leave at first light on the third morning. No excuses, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel pulled her in for a sideways hug, "Agreed. I just want to keep you and our baby safe and healthy."


	12. Chapter 12

AN/ Well, my muse finally came back after an extended vacation. My beta, Verb - bless her Canadian heart, always trying to change my American spelling - has beta'd this and has the next chapter. I've also got most of the following one written, so I should get them up regularly from now on. Thanks for waiting!

* * *

True to her word, Ashling didn't complain about the forced delay to Daniel, although he did notice several irritated glares directed at him. He smiled to himself and just carried on with the chores he'd been assigned around the village. He spent two days helping Tomas and his sons to dig a foundation for another room addition to the family's hut. It seems that Neala was expecting another child and they simply needed more room.

On the morning of the third day, Daniel and Ashling prepared to leave for the capital city of Aeire, Droichead Átha. Neala gave her niece a neck-breaking hug, then turned to pull Daniel into her embrace as well.

"May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you're going and the insight to know when you're going too far." Neala blessed them with a traditional Aeire parting, knowing that Ashling would need the reminder to take care of herself. "Send word as soon as you're able."

Tomas faced Daniel when Neala released him. "I'd go with you if I could, but my responsibility is here, with my family. However, if you find you need a strong arm, you've but to just send word and I'll be there with the strapping young men of the village." He clapped Daniel on the shoulder and nodded his good-byes.

Daniel and Ashling left with enough supplies for the three-day walk. Daniel took her hand and let her lead him toward her home.

XXXXXXXXXX

What would normally have been a two-day hike, took them three days. Daniel made Ashling rest frequently and they stopped each night before it became totally dark. The end of the third day brought them to the top of a hill overlooking their goal in the valley below. In the fading light, Ashling pointed out her home and the major buildings of the town. She told him where the guards were most likely stationed and what she thought would be the quickest way to the castle, without being stopped by Iollan's men.

Daniel turned from the valley below to face Ashling. "You know, it might be a better idea to just walk through the middle of town and let the people see you. According to Tomas, they've been told that you're dead. If they see you and see that you're very pregnant, the chances are good that they'll come to your aide in a fight against Iollan."

Ashling turned sorrow filled eyes towards her husband. "I never thought I'd have to fight for my birthright with my brother. Daniel, this is so hard to do."

Daniel slid an arm over her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. "I know. I know."

She stayed in the comfort of his hug for a few moments and then slowly pulled back. "Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long and strange day."

XXXXXXXXXX

Daniel was right. By the time they'd entered town the next morning, Ashling was being followed by several dozen cheering people. As they neared the only stone building in town, Ashling's home, the streets were lined with curious people who wanted to see if the rumors of her return were true. When they reached the castle they found Ashling's brother, Iollan, and a dozen of his men waiting at the entrance gate for them.

Daniel and Ashling stopped about fifteen feet in front of Iollan. He stood, a masculine version of his sister, with his feet spread and his arms crossed, clearly defiant. Daniel moved in front of Ashling, but she stepped from behind him to face her brother while the town's people watched.

"Iollan. I see that you are well."

"And I see that you've found yourself a dupe to get you with child so you can take the crown from me." His face was as cold as his tone of voice.

"Last I heard, our father was still _Toinn Bhinse an Rí_. I've come, with my husband, to claim my birthright." Ashling made an effort to keep her voice steady and calm. Nothing got Iollan's back up faster than a challenge.

Iollan was very aware that the people of the town were watching their every move. He wanted nothing more than to give a nod of his head and have Ashling captured by his men, but he knew that would lead to a rebellion against his control. He hesitated briefly and then stepped to one side, indicating with a wave of his hand that Ashling and Daniel could enter.

Daniel took a hold of Ashling's hand as they entered the castle together with Iollan's men following. Ashling led Daniel to the great hall. Iollan walked past them and sat in the central chair on the dais. Ashling's eyes flew open wide at the open manner in which her brother flaunted his usurpation of their father's place.

"So, you're not even trying to pretend that Father is still ruling." Her eyes flashed in unrestrained anger.

"Father has taken to his bed and is no longer capable of ruling." Iollan's smirk radiated the confidence he felt in his position.

"I would like to see him."

"In due time, _a chroí deirfiúr mhór. _First come have some refreshment and introduce me to your, um – friend."

Daniel could hear the quotation marks surround the word friend. Iollan was clearly implying that Ashling was not legally married. He wanted to step up on the dais and plant a fist in the middle of Iollan's nose. Ashling placed a restraining hand on Daniel's arm, knowing her husband well enough to know that he would want to defend her. She also knew Iollan well enough to know that he was baiting Daniel, hoping for an excuse to have him thrown into a cell.

"Ah, Iollan, forgive me for my poor manners. This is Daniel Jackson, my husband. We were married last summer in the village of our _Aintin Neala._ The whole village was there, if you require proof of a legal marriage." She turned to Daniel. "Husband, this is my younger brother, Iollan. He has been kind enough to help my father rule during my absence. But now that I'm back, I can relieve him of his burden."

Iollan gripped the arm rests of his chair so hard that Daniel could see his knuckles turn white with the fury that he was trying to conceal. Daniel folded his arms across his chest and decided not to interfere. Ashling seemed to be doing well in handling her brother.

**Earth**

Sam tossed her keys onto the table next to her door as she headed for the phone in her office. She punched speed dial number 2 and waited for Jack to answer.

"O'Neill."

"Sir, it's Carter. I need to speak to you about Daniel. Face-to-face. When's the next time you're coming out here?"

"Hello, Carter. Yes, I'm well. Thanks for asking. How are you?"

Sam sighed, knowing that the fastest way to get him back on track was to play along. "I'm glad you're well. I'm doing fine, thank you. Anything new in your life since we spoke last?"

"Nope, everything's the same. Same ol' job. Same ol' house. Same ol' bureaucrats." Jack grinned, knowing that she was barely biting back a few words of irritation. She was just so easy to annoy. "So. I understand you want to see me."

"Yes, sir. I have an idea about how we might be able to locate Daniel and I need your help. It's a little, um…, unorthodox, so I'd prefer speaking in person rather than on the phone or by email." Sam chewed on her lower lip, waiting for his response.

Jack immediately understood that Carter's "unorthodox" was at the least against regulations. "I'm scheduled for a meeting with Landry on Monday, but I can catch a ride on Saturday. Can you wait that long?"

Sam mentally sighed, but knew there was nothing that could be done. "That's fine, sir. Call me when you get in and I'll come pick you up at Peterson."

"Okay. Is Teal'c on Earth? I thought since I was going to be around for a couple of days maybe we could all go out to O'Malley's for dinner."

"He's due back from Chulak on Friday. I'm sure he'd like to see you again." Sam hesitated for a moment. "He'll probably want to be part of this search for Daniel anyway, so I can just talk to both of you together."

"What about Mitchell?"

"Well, sir, I think it would be better for him if we just left him out of this."

Definitely and seriously against regulations. "Great. See you in a couple of days, Carter."

"Good-bye, sir."

Sam held the phone for a moment before she set it back down. What she had in mind could get them all arrested.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_a chroí deirfiúr mhór_ – my dear older sister


	13. Chapter 13

**Aeire**

Ashling paced furiously back and forth in the confined space of her old bedchamber. Daniel lay back on the bed, hands clasped behind his head and feet dangling over the side, grinning quietly at her. She was magnificent when she was angry; her grey eyes deepened to smoke-black with emotion, her hair escaped from its confines as she tossed her head around, hands cut through the air as she emphasized her angry remarks.

"You! Don't laugh at me! You saw how he treated me! As though I was a small child!" She stomped over to Daniel and shook her fist under his nose. His eyebrows rose a fraction and he began to wonder if he was safe in the same room with her.

She turned away from Daniel and continued ranting. "May a mountain land on his head! May snails devour his corpse! May the thieving villain dangle, shaking and trembling from a rope! May the devil roast the _péineas_ off of him!"

Daniel stopped smiling and involuntarily crossed his legs to protect himself in case he became her next target. He really liked all his body parts just where they were. He hoped she did too.

Ashling suddenly dropped into a chair, anger finally spent. She sagged, exhausted from her tirade. Daniel left the bed and crossed the room to kneel beside her. He took her hand and began unconsciously rubbing her knuckles with his thumb in a soothing motion.

"Feeling better now?" He knew better than to grin at her yet.

"Oh, Daniel. How could he do this to our father? He was always a bit selfish and had a temper…"

"Must run in the family," Daniel muttered softly under his breath.

"But I never suspected him to be evil." She leaned her head down on Daniel's shoulder as he pulled her off the chair and onto his lap.

They sat for a few moments, Ashling gradually gathering serenity from Daniel's presence.

Abruptly the door flung open, hitting the stone wall with a bang.

"Well, isn't this just the picture of domestic bliss?" Iollan spat the words out with unconcealed venom.

Husband and wife froze briefly under the sudden barrage of anger. Daniel set Ashling back in the chair and rose to face Iollan. Daniel's eyes narrowed as he faced his brother-in-law.

"Don't you ever knock?" Daniel wished Jack were here. He'd be able to verbally cut the jerk down to the size of a Chihuahua.

"Not in my castle."

Daniel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Well, that just goes to show you how wrong I can be. I thought this was your father's home."

Iollan glared at Daniel as he entered the room. "Since my father is unable to rule at this time and my sister has been…busy," he stared pointedly at her swollen belly, "I took my rightful place as ruler."

He turned to Ashling, "You are just a momentary distraction."

Daniel moved to stand between Iollan and his wife. "I don't think you fully understand the situation. Ashling is back. Your father will be restored to power and you … Well, I'm not sure about you just yet, but you won't interfering." He stepped closer to the shorter man, using his larger body to emphasize his threat.

Iollan abruptly leaned back out of Daniel's space and looked to the side at his sister. "I just came to let you know that you'll be able to see our father after the noon meal. His nurse will be with him and you'll be able to see just how much he has deteriorated during the past year." He nodded and left the room.

Daniel looked down at Ashling. "Well, that was interesting."

**Earth**

Sam, Jack and Teal'c entered a small dinner just outside Colorado Springs. Sam wanted a place where no one would be likely to recognize or pay attention to the small group. Since the events with Orlin, the first time he descended, she wasn't about to take the chance that her home might be bugged.

Jack led them to a booth in the farthest corner from the entrance. They chatted about nothing while the waitress was hovering about. Jack waited until they'd gotten their food before he confronted Sam.

He took a huge bite of his burger and muttered around it, "Colonel, what's all this about?"

Sam dropped the fry from between her fingers and looked at both men facing her across the table. "I've thought of a way to find Daniel. But it will mean doing some things without letting Landry or Mitchell know ahead of time."

Jack just nodded as he shoveled some fries into his mouth. He'd known this was going to be interesting.

"Sir," Sam glanced at Teal'c and then faced Jack, "the _Odyssey_ will be ready for flight in two weeks. It won't be completed, but it will be space worthy. You know we haven't been able to contact the Asgard to help in the search. I believe that if we commandeer the _Odyssey_ we can get to the Asgard homeworld and contact Thor."

"I knew I wasn't going to like this when I talked to you on the phone earlier." Jack pushed his now empty plate away and took a drink of his soda.

"Indeed. I, too, was hesitant when Colonel Carter proposed this clandestine meeting." Teal'c nodded in agreement with O'Neill.

"Sir, as you know," Sam continued, "our technology only allows us to use the locator devices when we're in orbit of a planet. The problem is, we don't know which planet Daniel is on. Or even if he's in our galaxy. The Asgard technology will allow us to locate Daniel's signal anywhere in the galaxy. If they can't find him…well…" Sam's voice trailed off as the ramifications of what she was implying sunk in.

"Okay, Carter. Let's suppose you're right. Just how do you propose we steal Earth's most closely guarded piece of technology? Just walk on and ask?"

"Well, sir, that's where I'd need your help." Sam quickly outlined her proposal to both men.

When she finished Jack turned to Teal'c. "You think the government will allow us to share a cell after this?" There was no question that the three former team members were going to attempt a rescue. The only question was how long the prison term would be.

**Aeire**

Iollan had two of his men accompany Ashling and Daniel to see her father. They climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor of the stone building and stopped at a large wooden door. One of the guards knocked several times and then opened the door, allowing the couple to enter.

The room was darkened with black cloth draped over the windows. There were a few candles placed about the room so that there was just enough light for Ashling to cross the room to her father's bed.

Daniel followed her closely, concerned that the strain might be too much for her in her condition. She nodded to the woman sitting next to the bed in a chair and perched on the edge of the bed.

The old man barely weighted enough to cause a dent in the feather mattress. His skin was pallid and hung in folds about his jaw and neck. Ashling leaned over and took the hand that was resting on the covers. He turned slightly toward her.

"Ashling? They told me you were back but I didn't believe them."

"Aye, Da, I'm home. I'm married and about to have a grandchild for you. You need to be here to dangle him on you knee." Ashling tried to keep her voice from quivering. He had lost so much weight and looked fragile.

Daniel picked up a candle and leaned over the sick man. "I'm Daniel. Your son-in-law." He brought the candle closer to his face and watched the old man's face closely.

King Ruari flinched slightly but held a steady gaze directed on Daniel. Daniel felt as though he were being measured for worthiness by the ill man.

"Well, _muirnín_, I see you've caught yourself a big one." Her father graced her with a wan smile. "He looks to be a fine specimen of a man." Turning to Daniel again he said, "You'd best be taking very good care of my daughter or you'll be answering to me."

Daniel grinned at him. "Yes, sir, I'll take very good care of her."

The healer motioned them away from the bed. "I think he's had enough for now. You can come back tomorrow."

Ashling leaned over and kissed her father on the forehead. She rose from the bed and walked slowly to the door with Daniel right behind her.

"Ashling, is there someplace we can talk without being overheard or interrupted?"

She nodded once. "Follow me."

She took Daniel outside and led him to the bank of a river behind the castle. She stopped and sat under the sheltering branches of a large oak. Daniel dropped down next to her and glared at the guard who had followed them. The man wandered off beyond earshot, but still watched them.

"Ashling, I think you father is being drugged or poisoned. I noticed that he displayed several symptoms common to a gradual poisoning. The pupils in his eyes are unequal and contracting in the dim light. He's sweating, even though he has no fever and it was cool in the room. He was slurring his words"

"But I have seen many people sick like with symptoms like that and they weren't poisoned." Ashling's face reflected her puzzlement over Daniel's concern.

"I agree, but the timing of his illness is suspect, don't you think?"

"We've got to get him away from Iollan!" She stood and turned to go back.

"Ashling, we need to do this carefully. Remember, your brother isn't going to the allow you to just carry him out. I'd like to go back and talk to the healer. Do you know her?"

"Yes, she is the best healer around. She's been treating my family for as long as I can remember. She'd never hurt my father."

"You know men like your brother can force someone to do things they would never want to do. If she's a good healer she should recognize the signs of poisoning and if she does, then she's part of the problem." Daniel paced back and forth a few times.

"Come on. I want to talk to her." He grasped her hand and led her back to the castle.

* * *

_Muirnín_ - sweetheart

_Péineas –_ (I think this should be clear enough!)


	14. Chapter 14

Daniel tracked down the local healer, after he'd persuaded Ashling to wait elsewhere – not an easy job - while she was in the kitchen supervising the making of King Raurí's meal. He watched as the cook ladled a serving of broth into a wooden bowl. One of Iollan's soldiers came over and tasted it, nodding his approval to the healer. She placed the bowl on a tray along with a piece of stale bread that would be soaked in the soup and fed to the sick ruler. As she turned to leave the kitchen, another of Iollan's men dropped something into the bowl, careful to not let the healer see him – but Daniel did.

Daniel followed her up the stairs and caught her just before she entered the King's room.

"Um, excuse me. I'd like to talk to you before you go back to the King."

The healer nodded and set the tray on a small table next to the door.

"I come from a place where our medicine is, um, different." Daniel tried to choose his words carefully. He didn't want her to think he was accusing her of being neglectful.

"I noticed that some of the king's symptoms are the same of those shown by organophosphate poisoning. Where I live people use that as a pesticide, um, something to kill weeds in the crops, but if people ingest it, it can make them very sick and even kill them." Daniel tried to shove his hands in his pockets. _Am I ever going to remember that there are no pockets on this planet?_ "Look, I'm not accusing you of anything, but I saw one of Iollan's men drop something into the soup when you turned your back in the kitchen."

The healer, Meara by name, blanched as her hands rose to cover her mouth. She closed her eyes while she tried to gather her spinning thoughts together.

"I knew this was not a natural illness, but I could not find a cause. Are you a healer where you come from?"

Dr. Lam's face flashed across his memory, quickly followed by Janet's. "No. No, I'm not a healer, but I have had some training for emergencies and I have seen this type of poisoning before on another plan..um, in another place." Some of the people didn't know what the "stone circle" was and he'd didn't want Iollan to know he was from another planet – just yet. _Dear God, I miss home._

"How about if I go back to the kitchen and ask for something to eat? I can bring it back here and you can give it to the king. If we keep that up for a few days and he gets better, then we'll know he's being poisoned. If he doesn't...well, at least we will have tried."

Meara agreed and Daniel left. About ten minutes later he returned with a bowl of soup filled with meat and vegetables. Meara nodded her thanks and took the fresh food in to feed the king. Daniel took the suspect food to the nearest privy and dumped it out.

**Earth**

Jack prepared for his meeting with Landry. Most of it was just run-of-the-mill stuff, but he was going to set Sam's plan in motion.

He parked his rented car in the lot and waited for the blue bus to take him inside. He hopped on the bus and nodded hello in response to several greetings from familiar SGC faces. He wasn't usually nervous about lying to a fellow officer when necessary. He'd done it frequently in the course of his military career, but Hank was a friend and this Jack was going to be lying to him for personal reasons.

He scrubbed a hand over his face as he wondered how he was going to explain this escapade to the president. If they came back with Daniel, it would sure be a lot easier to explain. Hell, if they came back with Daniel, **everything** would be a lot easier.

After going through more security checks – miserable since 9/11 – Jack finally made his way to the elevators where he met up with Walter.

"General O'Neill. Good to see you again."

"Walter."

"So, you're having your monthly meeting with General Landry this morning? Should be fairly routine. I don't know of anything unusual that's happened this past month."

_Nothing unusual? Walter sends people off to other planets. Life is messed up when that's normal._

They exited the elevator on level 27 and headed to the briefing room together.

"Ah, just let me tell General Landry that you're here, sir."

Walter knocked on Landry's door and entered.

Several hours later, Jack and Hank had finished up their meeting. Jack squirmed in the visitor's chair and took a deep breath.

"Hank, I understand from Carter that the _Odyssey_ will be up and running soon."

"Yes. Actually the first trial run is scheduled for two weeks from today." Hank leaned forward a bit. "Why? You itching to get out from behind your desk and out in the wild, blue, well, black, yonder?" He leaned back, smirking, sure that Jack would deny it.

"As a matter of fact, I am. I plan to be on that first flight. I know Carter will be there, since she helped design many of the systems, but I'd also like Teal'c to come along. You know, kind of a team reunion." Jack sighed quietly. It was out now.

"Well, you're the boss. How about Mitchell? He'd probably get a kick out of going along."

"I really thought it would be great for just the old SG1 to get out there together. It might be the last chance and with Daniel missing…" _Throw in the old sympathy card._

"Sure. I can have Mitchell assigned to something else. He doesn't need to know you'll be going along."

"Thanks, Hank." Jack stood and leaned over the desk for a handshake. "I'll just stop and see Carter and let her know she'll have company for the flight."

Jack found Carter hunched over her laptop while absentmindedly munching on an apple. He paused for just a moment to watch her. Carter-gazing had been one of his favorite pastimes when he'd been here.

Sucking in a deep breath, he sauntered into the room and picked up the first object he found on her lab counter.

"Sir, put that down." Carter never gave any other indication that she'd seen him, but she knew the instant he had entered her lab.

Jack put on his innocent face and replaced the object. "Just dropped by to let you know that Landry agreed to have Mitchell kept busy during our little trip."

She turned towards him, giving him her full attention now. "I'll let you know when the fewest number of people will be onboard before the test flight."

Jack closed his eyes for a moment as the gravity of what they were planning to do washed over him again. "You're sure this is the only way?"

"Sir, I don't know of any other way to contact the Asgard except to go to them. They haven't responded to any of our requested and it's been over six months." Sam knew to the day how long it had been since Daniel had vanished.

"Yeah, well. Okay, then. I'll be hearing from you." Jack straightened up and looked at her briefly before leaving.

* * *

A/N: I found a web site where someone described their visit to Cheyenne Mountain and a bus blue that took everyone from the parking area to the entrance, so I used it here.  



	15. Chapter 15

**Aeire**

Two weeks later, King Raurí was beginning to gain back his health. He was able to leave his bed for short periods of time and was getting ready to resume his position as active ruler. Ashling was pleased with the turnabout in her father's health and furious with Iollan for attempting to kill him. She neither confronted Iollan nor informed her father of the cause of his illness. Daniel had persuaded her to hold off until after the birth of the baby, only about six weeks away.

Ashing laid down the sewing she was doing. She really had little patience for the tedious work, but the baby had to have something to wear. She tried to push herself out of the chair, but couldn't quite get enough leverage to accomplish that feat.

"Why did my mother do this so often?" She mumbled out loud to her stomach. "You'd better be cute to make all this worth it!"

Daniel opened the door to their room and caught his wife muttering and trying to get up. He hid a grin behind his hand and a faked cough. She'd already smacked him several times for laughing at her. "Um, you need some help?"

"Yes, damn you. You're the one who did this to me!" She shook her finger at him. "You come over and help me up so I can make another trip to the privy."

"How about I just cut a hole in your chair and put a pot under it?" _Oh, Jackson,__that was stupid. Now you'll probably find yourself shoved out of bed in the middle of the night._

"Daniel Jackson! If you don't get me out of the chair in two seconds, I'll be getting my bow and arrow after you again. Only this time it won't be your arm I'll be aiming for!" She glared meaningfully to a spot south of his belt.

"Yes, ma'am! Right now." Daniel moved quickly to help her up and tried to placate her with a kiss on her forehead.

"That's the kind of nonsense that got me into this mess in the first place, so don't try to soften me up, husband, because it won't work." She shuffled off out the door, muttering, "Probably wear a damned rut in the floor between here and the privy before this child is born."

Daniel broke out in a huge grin, until she turned to glare at him as she left the room. Then his expression went innocently blank.

That evening her father joined the family for dinner in the main hall. Iollan took his place on the king's left, with Ashling on his right. He clearly wasn't back to full health, but he was so much better and unmistakably happy to be out of his room.

Daniel kept an eye on Iollan during the meal and noticed his occasional furtive glance at one of the guards posted by the door. Daniel also watched to make sure Iollan didn't come anywhere near the king's food. Ashling was just so pleased to have her father on the mend that she didn't pay any attention to what her brother was doing.

King Raurí turned to Iollan. "I've been told that all your younger sisters have been secluded in prayer for my health. Don't you think it's about time that they come back home. After all, it appears that I have eluded the Otherworld one more time."

Daniel watched as a flicker of anger passed over Iollan's face. "I'll have my men send for them tomorrow. They're several days journey away, so it will probably take about a week for them to come home."

King Raurí patted Iollan on the hand and nodded his approval. Iollan clenched his hand under his father's touch and Daniel wondered if he might strike out at the older man.

Addressing the group in general, King Raurí raised his cup of wine. "Since my daughter has come home safely to us, married and clearly capable of producing an heir, I have decided that upon the return of the rest of my daughters it will be time for a celebration of Ashling's marriage. Also, as soon as she has recovered from childbirth, she will formally become my co-ruler, as our tradition requires."

Everyone at the table raised their cups in salute. Daniel hugged his wife and leaned over to kiss her cheek, and kept a close eye on Iollan. All color had drained from his face, but he quickly covered his frustration in the cup of wine.

**Earth**

Jack stepped out of the car Sam had sent to the airfield to take him to Area 51 where the _Odyssey_ was being readied to launch the next day. Teal'c was waiting to take him down to the underground facility where the newest Earth ship awaited her first venture into the galaxy.

The two men exited the elevator into the underground hanger where Sam waited.

"General…Teal'c. It's good to see you both again." Sam turned to lead them over the gangway connecting the ship to the elevator's exit.

"Colonel. Is everything ready?" Jack was wearing his dress uniform – it made travel go so much smoother when everyone could see he was a general. He carried a small duffle bag with several sets of BDUs for more comfortable wearing aboard the _Odyssey_.

"Yes, sir. Let's find somewhere where we can talk privately. There aren't too many people here during the nightshift, but a few are still prepping the ship."

Sam guided them through the grey hallways to the captain's office. "The captain and crew are scheduled to board at 0700 tomorrow, so this is empty now."

The three former team members seated themselves around a small table in the center of the room before Sam began.

"Sir, I've managed to reprogram the computers so all ship controls will run from the main console on the bridge. There are only eleven crewmen aboard right now that we'll have to incapacitate and get off the ship. I've already set the coordinates for the Asgard home world and it should take us about two weeks to get there."

"Good work, Carter. Teal'c, you and I will zat the crew and get them out while Carter does the final prep on the ship." Jack looked down at his watch. "We'll begin at 0100. That should give us a few hours until the crew is conscious and before any others show up for duty."

Jack gave Teal'c and Carter one more, steady look. "This is your final chance to back out."

Teal'c and Sam just looked him in the eye and waited. "Good. Okay, let's get this show on the road."

At 0100, Sam went to the bridge to begin the launch sequence. She also pinpointed all life signs aboard so Jack and Teal'c could quickly zat them and haul them off the ship. Twenty minutes later Jack gave her the go, she initiated the final launch sequence and the overhead doors began to side open above the _Odyssey_. Within ten minutes they were rising above Earth's atmosphere, on their way to find Daniel.

**SGC**

Hank Landry moaned, rolled over in the bed and reached out to stop the offending noise.

"This had better be good or heads will roll."

"Yes, General. It's important."

"Don't you ever sleep, Walter?"

"No, sir." _You can't sleep and keep up the reputation of being psychic_, Walter thought to himself. "Sir, we've just received a report that the _Odyssey_ is missing."

"I'm on my way."

_Jack, what the hell have you done now?_


	16. Chapter 16

**Aeire**

Another two weeks passed. The baby was due in about a month and Ashling was ready to seriously injure anyone who came near her. She couldn't get her feet into her shoes and had to wear Daniel's, which were too long so she was always stumbling over them. Sitting cut off the circulation to her legs and made her feet go to sleep. Lying down on her stomach – her favorite sleeping position - was impossible. Turning over was a major production. She had to slide over to the very edge of the bed, slip her legs off and kneel down onto the floor. She then had to push herself up to stand and get back into bed in a new position.

Daniel watched her growing discomfort with sympathy and, not just a little, amusement. He knew soothing comments only increased her irritation, so he kept quite and tried to help as much as possible. He had appreciated the middle months when rampant hormones had made her much more "affectionate." However, she was making up for that bounty now when any physical contact only served to increase her temper.

Daniel hadn't seen any sign of a Prior in the month he and Ashling had been at the castle. Iollan, and many of the town's people, did attend prostration services and quoted frequently from the Book of Origin. He had found most of the guards around the castle were loyal to the king and disdainful of Iollan. He had several of them following Iollan and they reported that Iollan had made the long trip to the gate and gone through. It had taken the messenger two days to travel from the gate. Daniel was sure that whatever Iollan was planning, would happen very soon.

He opened the door to their room and discovered his wife standing, frozen, in the middle of the room with a look of terror on her face.

_ He was lying on a stone altar, bleeding profusely from a wound in his side. She was tied to a stone pillar, unable to get to him. There was smoke and the cries of frightened children swirling around them. A pale face peered at her from beneath a light grey hood. Cold, dead eyes met hers. The face that had been her brother's. He raised his staff and pointed it at Daniel.> _

Her knees gave out and she slumped to the ground. Daniel yelled for a guard and ran across the room to Ashling. He scooped her up and carried her over to the bed. The guard poked his head around the door.

"Go get the healer! And hurry!" Daniel felt for a pulse and found it, bringing momentary relief, but it was faint and erratic. He began removing her clothing, which had become tight the last few weeks. When he had her down to her shift, her checked her pulse again and was relieved to find it was stronger, but her skin was cold. He pulled the covers up over her and began rubbing her arms vigorously to warm her up.

Meara, the healer, came running into the room followed by the guard.

"Thank God you're here. She had a vision and then collapsed. Her pulse is faint, but stronger than it was." Daniel tried to report objectively what had happened, but the life of his wife and child was at stake. "She's so cold."

Meara pulled back the blankets and lifted Ashling's shift. She placed her hands on Ashling's belly and began pressing gently. "The baby's head has dropped into the birthing position."

She opened her bag, took out a small jar and rubbing some ointment onto her hand. Turning to Daniel, she said, "You should leave now. I've got to examine her internally."

"My god, she's my wife. I've seen all parts of her." He stood straight, widened his stance and clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm not leaving her."

Meara turned back to the woman on the bed, muttering, "Men! They can kill and gut a deer, but faint at the sight of a newborn babe."

"Yeah, well, I've delivered three babies. I think I'll manage."

She poked and prodded Ashling and Daniel was grateful his wife wasn't conscious. It looked very uncomfortable.

Meara stood and faced Daniel. "She's in the early stages of labor. Your child is on the way."

"It's too soon! Will she be all right? The baby will be okay?" Daniel moved over and sat on the side of the bed, pushing her hair off her forehead.

"I can only answer those questions when this is all over. Although, I'm not sure why she collasped and that worries me." Meara wiped her hands off on a towel sitting near the bed. "I'd better tell the women to get ready for the birth. There are things to do." She walked out the door leaving Daniel to sit with Ashling.

As Daniel leaned down, Ashling's eyes fluttered and opened. She looked up and saw her husband's blue eyes radiating concern. She opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes suddenly widened and then clamped shut. She grabbed Daniel's hand and squeezed as if her life depended upon it. Daniel counted slowly to fifteen and she relaxed.

This time her eyes flew open in fear. "Daniel? What's happening?"

"It's all right. The healer has been here and the baby's on the way now."

"But it's too soon!" Ashling's faced paled as she remembered her latest vision. "Daniel, I had the same vision again only this time I recognized the pale man's face. Oh, god Daniel, it was Iollan."

_**Odyssey**_

"So, Carter, are we there yet?"

Sam rolled her eyes. He could be such a child sometimes. "Not yet, sir. But we should be within a few hours."

"A few hours? What the hell am I going to do for a few more hours? I knew I should have brought my Gameboy!" Jack turned and strode out off the bridge.

Sam grinned and thumbed on her radio. "Teal'c?"

"I am here, Colonel Carter."

"We're going to be in communications range within a few hours. I could use you help finish up the repairs on the long range communications system."

"I am on my way."

Several hours later, Sam hauled herself up from the floor. "Well, that should do it." Satisfied with their efforts, she went back to the bridge to find the general sitting in the captain's chairs fingering the controls.

"Uh, sir, please don't touch those!" Sam hurried to check the panels for any change in readings. Sighing with relief that he hadn't messed things up, she turned back to him. He was clearly simmering with unused energy and frustration. Nothing annoyed him more than inaction.

"I'm going to start sending out hailing messages. If we aren't in range now, we will be any time." Sam sat at the communications stations and began to adjust the controls until she seemed satisfied.

"Sir, we're now sending an automatic greeting to Orilla, the Asgard homeworld. They should respond soon."

Jack swiveled the captain's chair around in circles. "So, you want to play a game of TicTacToe while we wait? You can be X."


	17. Chapter 17

**Aeire**

"How much longer can this take? She's been in labor for twenty-four hours. Surely she can't keep this up much longer!" Daniel stopped his pacing long enough to shout at the healer.

"It takes as long as it takes. Some babies come quickly and others take their time." Meara had to admit that this father-to-be had been a great help. He'd rubbed Ashling's back when it ached. He'd wiped her face to keep her cool. He'd taught her a method of breathing that seemed to help managed the pain. Meara was going to have him teach her that when this birth was over so she could help others.

Ashling moaned and began thrashing on the bed. Daniel moved quickly back to her and took her hand. "Short breaths, _muirnín. _ Look at me. Slowly." As Daniel talked her through the contraction he mentally counted off the seconds. When she finally relaxed and sank back against the cushion of pillows, Daniel turned to the healer. "That was over a minute. She must be almost ready by now."

Meara moved back to the bed and slipped her hands under Ashling's shift. After she gently probed around for a few seconds, she shook her head. "No. She is not yet dilated enough to begin pushing. If she pushes now, she will have internal tearing. We must wait."

Daniel lay down next to Ashling and closed his eyes. He knew it would only be a few minutes before another contraction, but he'd been up for thirty-six hours and he was nearly as exhausted as Ashling.

He'd just relaxed when the bedroom door was flung open, slamming against the wall with a bang. Iollan stepped into the room and pointed his staff at Daniel. Daniel sat up and stared in horror at his brother-in-law. He was a Prior.

"Stand up, Daniel Jackson, and come with me."

"Now's not a good time, Iollan. We're a little busy here." Daniel gestured toward his wife, who was beginning to show signs of another contraction. Daniel sat up and grabbed her hand again, preparing to talk her through the next contraction.

Iollan raised his staff and pointed it at Daniel. "Pick her up and follow me."

"I don't think so! She can't be moved right now. In case you can't see through those milky eyes, she's about to give birth!" Daniel stood and began walking closer to Iollan.

Iollan nodded at several men who had been waiting just outside the open doorway. They entered, shoved Meara aside, and picked up Ashling, preparing to leave the room.

"If anyone's carrying my wife, it will be me." Daniel gently took Ashling from the guard and kissed her on the forehead, murmuring reassurances in her ear.

"You will follow me."

Daniel followed Iollan, treading carefully down the stairs and out into the town's square. He saw that both a stone altar and a pillar stood in the center of the square where nothing had stood before. Iollan pointed to the pillar with his staff, indicating that Daniel should take Ashling over there.

"No. I won't risk her health or the health of our child." Daniel looked down at his wife, who was in the throes of another contraction.

Prior Iollan pointed his staff at the crowd that had begun to gather. "You know what powers of healing - and sickness – I possess. Unless you wish to become the cause of much suffering, you will tie her to the pillar."

Daniel knew that Iollan wouldn't hesitate to kill. He'd also never known a Prior to have trouble killing, so that made Prior Iollan extremely dangerous and unpredictable.

He settled Ashling at the base of the pillar and took the chains from one of the guards. He fastened the metal cuffs around her wrists, thankful that she had a bit of play in the length of the chains to move around a little.

He stood next to her, his hand on her head, as she leaned against his leg for support. _God, I'm going to fail as a husband and protector again. She's going to die._ He closed his eyes briefly and tried to gather strength into himself.

"Enough! Now, you come over here." Iollan pointed to the flat altar and waited for Daniel to obey.

Daniel stood for a moment considering his options. He considered refusing and causing enough trouble so that someone could free Ashling and get her back to bed. _Iollan would probably kill her just to spite me._

As he hesitated, Iollan nodded to a guard, who put a knife to Ashling's neck and sneered at Daniel. _Message received._ Daniel prolonged his walk as much as he could while he frantically tried to come up with a way to safely free Ashling.

Iollan just waited with no expression on his pale, grey face. Daniel finally arrived at the altar without a plan. He knew Iollan had power he couldn't fight. His backpack with the inhibiting device that could block a Prior's powers for a while was up in his room. Daniel had run out of options.

Daniel hesitated just a little too long for Iollan and he nodded to the guard who held the knife on Ashling. The man nodded and began to draw the sharp instrument across her neck. When Daniel saw the blood bead up, he turned to Iollan, furious.

"Stop it! She's your sister!" Daniel's balled his fists and took a step toward Iollan. Iollan waved the staff over the heads of the people gathered to watch. Daniel saw several explosions around the courtyard and fire began to pour from buildings. People began running in all directions.

Iollan turned to Daniel and with a grimace, he pointed his staff and Daniel's ribs cracked and blood began oozing from a wound that opened on his side. Ashling raised her head and her eyes met Daniel's from across the village square.

_ He was lying on a stone altar, bleeding profusely from a wound in his side. She was tied to a stone pillar, unable to get to him. There was smoke and the cries of frightened children swirling around them. A pale face peered at her from beneath a light grey hood. Cold, dead eyes met hers. The face that had been her brother's. He raised his staff and pointed it at Daniel.> _

_**Odyssey**_

Carter looked up from their ninth game of TicTacToe when a console began beeping. She leaned over and fiddled with the controls. As she worked, Jack began to distinguish a voice over the static that was coming from the speakers on the bridge.

"…Orilla. Please…in…assistance…Orilla."

Sam nodded at Jack as he seated himself in the captain's chair. "This is the Earth ship _Odyssey, _General Jack O'Neill speaking. Is Thor available?"

"Greetings, General O'Neill. Thor will be here momentarily. In the mean time, may I be of assistance?"

"No. Thanks for asking. We'll just wait for my good buddy Thor."

Sam pushed a button and called Teal'c to the bridge. Just as Teal'c rounded a corner onto the bridge, there was a flash of light and a hologram of Thor appeared to the side of O'Neill.

"Thor! Good to see ya! How's it hangin'?"

"It hangs well, O'Neill. It is good to see you as well. How may I be of service?"

Jack quickly briefed Thor on Daniel's disappearance and their request. "So, ya see, buddy, we would be greatly in your debt if you could just wiggle some of those stones of yours around and find Daniel for us."

"It would be a great pleasure to assist my friend Daniel Jackson. I will be right back."

Thor's hologram turned his back to Jack and the humans could hear some mumbling. Within a few minutes, Thor turned back to face Jack.

"We have been able to locate the GPS signal. It is coming from a planet in the Hebridan System."

"Sir, that's Warrick's home system!" Sam's excitement vibrated in her voice.

At Jack's raised eyebrow, she continued, "You remember. The space race?"

As the light dawned in Jack's memory, he turned back to Thor. "Can you send a course to our computer? I'm sure you can do that faster than we can."

"I can do more, O'Neill. I can accompany you on your quest to rescue Dr. Jackson. My people owe him much gratitude and I would deem it a great honor to be of some small assistance to you."

"Beam away, good buddy."

A/N

_Muirnín_ - sweetheart


	18. Chapter 18

**Aerie**

"Lie down on the altar. You will be an example of what happens when people defy the will of the Ori." Iollan turned his staff back to Ashling and Daniel did as he was told.

He lay still, assessing his injuries while two guards chained his arms and legs to the stone slab. A third guard approached with a clay vessel. Daniel had a pretty good idea that it contained oil.

"Oh, god. Been here, done this." He murmured to himself in English. Switching back to Gaelic, he hissed to Iollan, "I don't suppose you guys have come up with a new form of torture that doesn't involve fire?"

Seeing the unchanged expression on the Prior's face, Daniel muttered, "No? I didn't think so."

He allowed his head to fall back onto the stone surface as another wave of pain swept over his ribs. He knew he was bleeding faster now as he felt the blood begin streaming from the blast wound on his side.

The guard began pouring oil on Daniel's feet and worked his way slowly up his body. Ashling watched from across the squared and struggled to her feet between contractions.

"Iollan!"

What was left of her brother turned to face her.

"Please. Let us go. We'll leave and go back to _Aintin_ Neala's home. I won't challenge your rule. Just please, let Daniel go unharmed."

Iollan's gaze remained blank and he turned back to Daniel to watch the last of the oil dripped into his hair.

He raised his staff and pointed to Daniel.

_**Odyssey**_

"Sir, we've arrived in orbit around the planet." Sam shifted from one control console to another and began fiddling with dials and gages.

Jack moved across the bridge and took his place in the captain's chair while Teal'c and Thor stood behind him. He watched the screen in front of them and took in the beauty of the planet below. Jack had been on dozens, if not hundreds, of worlds, but seldom had the chance to see them from above.

"Carter?"

"I've located a GPS signal, but I haven't pinpointed it exactly yet. Give me a minute."

"Is he alive?" Jack couldn't contain his concern any longer.

"There is no way to tell, sir. I can only locate the GPS device and hope that it hasn't been removed from Daniel."

Jack's fingers gripped the armrests tighter. He hadn't considered the possibility that the device might have been removed.

"Any time now, Carter."

Sam pressed her lips together in frustration. She knew Jack hated waiting, but she could only work so fast. "Got it!"

"Beam him up, Scotty." He'd always wanted to say that.

Sam rolled her eyes and adjusted the controls.

A pillar of light appeared on the bridge and Daniel materialized.

Jack jumped out of his chair and reached the prone archeologist at the same time as Teal'c.

"He appears to be injured, O'Neill."

Sam rushed over to Daniel's side. "He's bleeding a lot, sir. We need to get him to sick bay. I just hope that the medical supplies were stocked before we left."

Teal'c scooped up the unconscious man and the two humans and one Asgard ran to the medical bay.

_I've never seen an Asgard run before. If it weren't so serious, I'd laugh. Well, Daniel and I will have plenty of ammunition later._ Jack's thoughts were tumbling quickly through his head.

Teal'c placed Daniel on the examination table while Sam and Jack searched the room for medical supplies.

"Thank God! Sir, I've located bandages, supplies for suturing, and topical antibiotics. We can patch him up until we get back to Earth and find out if there are internal injuries."

Teal'c had already removed Daniel's clothing and begun to wipe off as much blood as he could. Sam dashed over and began using sterile gauze and antiseptic liquid to clean him up. When she touched his open wound with the wet gauze, Daniel groaned and tried to roll away from the pain.

"Daniel, can you hear me?" Jack leaned over his face.

"I hear you, Jack. You don't have to yell in my face," Daniel mumbled. Suddenly his eyes flew open and he focused on the face hovering above him. "Jack? What are you doing here?"

It all came tumbling back to him and he tried to sit up, but Jack and Teal'c held him down. "I've got to get to her! Jack, my wife! She's…" Daniel sank back down, too dizzy to continue.

"Your wife? Did you marry an alien princess again? I swear, Captain Kirk's got nothing on you!" Jack smirked.

Fighting his way through the haze and pain, Daniel tried to explain what was happening on the planet below. While he talked, Sam continued to clean him up.

He finished his brief explanation just as Sam finished tying a bandage around his ribs.

"How's he doing, Colonel?" Jack's first concern was for his friend.

"I think he has several cracked ribs and first and second degree burns on his chest and side, but barring any organ damage he should be fine." Sam frowned. "Of course, I'm not a physician."

"Well, I trust your training here, Carter." Jack turned back to Daniel, now reassured that he would be all right.

"Jack! We need to get back there now!" Daniel was sitting up now, his own pain pushed aside as he pictured what could be happening to Ashling.

"Carter, can you get a fix on her and beam her up?"

"I can't isolate her from others, sir."

"Sam, do you still have the coordinates from where I was? Couldn't you just beam everyone up within a," Daniel paused and tried to remember how far away Ashling was from him, "oh, about a ten foot radius?"

"I can do that." Sam turned to head back to the bridge.

Jack and Teal'c helped their friend off the table and onto unsteady feet. "Daniel, just how many armed men do you think will being joining us up here?" Teal'c raised his eyebrow in thought and he hoped that the armory had been stocked before they left.

Daniel closed his eyes again and tried to picture the scene he had left. "Probably only about four or five, and a Prior."

"Teal'c, let's go to the armory and get some zats and hope to god they included at least one inhibitor device."

Jack and Teal'c ran for the armory while Sam helped Daniel take a few steps before he gained his balance. The two of them headed for the bridge while Thor followed.

Sam quickly slipped into the console chair and brought up the coordinates where they had found Daniel. She adjusted the controls to encompass a wider area and nodded in satisfaction. Turning to Daniel, she said, "We need to wait for the general and Teal'c to bring up more weapons."

Daniel pulled off his glasses and pushed the heals of his hands into his eyes. He'd been up too long, he was injured and he was totally stressed out with worry over his wife and child. Sam stood and gathered him into a hug.

"God, Daniel. I've missed you."

"Me, too, Sam. Me, too."

Jack and Teal'c came sprinting onto the bridge, their arms full of weapons. Jack dumped everything down on the deck and began passing them out. He gave Carter and Daniel each one zat. He gave Teal'c two and took two for himself. He looked over at Thor and raised an eyebrow in question.

"I, too, will take two zat'ni'katels. We are not a violent race, but we do know how to defend ourselves, O'Neill."

Jack nodded and handed the alien two zats. "Carter, Teal'c, Thor, you zat everyone once. We'll sort out the good guys later." Turning back to Daniel, he handed him the inhibitor device and one zat. "Daniel, you've done this before with Mitchell. I'll be the Prior's target and you get this thing working."

Jack looked back at Daniel. "Did I tell you how glad I am that you're back?"

Daniel nodded once, knowing that it was difficult for Jack to admit that much.

"Okay. Carter? Ready?"

She nodded and the four others took their places around the area where Carter would beam the Prior and other people.

Jack signaled and she moved the controls.

Daniel watched, holding his breath, until he saw the beam begin to appear and he lifted up a silent prayer to anyone with power that Ashling was still alive.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Odyssey**_

Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and Thor raised their weapons when Sam activated the beam. Sam grabbed her two zats and joined the group. As human forms began materializing, each of the _Odyssey_ crew discharged a single energy shot and quickly knocked out all except the Prior.

Iollan remained unaffected and turned his impassive face towards Daniel. As he raised his staff and began quoting from the Book of Origin, Jack began to taunt him, drawing his attention away from Daniel. Daniel quickly began running through different frequencies on the inhibitor. Iollan raised his hand and lifted Jack off the deck of the bridge. Teal'c and Sam aimed their zats at the Prior, but knew they were helpless to rescue Jack.

"Now would be good, Daniel!" Jack yelled.

"Almost there!" Daniel responded as Jack dropped to the ground, freed from the Prior's power.

Iollan looked at his hand, puzzled. Daniel lifted his zat and fired, three times. Sam, Teal'c and Jack all starred at Daniel, frozen with shock at what he had just done.

Daniel disregarded his teammates and ran to Ashling's side. Dropping down, he felt her neck for a pulse. "Sam, I need you in the infirmary." Daniel picked up his wife and ran for the medical bay, ignoring the shooting pain in his ribs.

Jack and Teal'c stayed behind and tied up the half dozen people who had been beamed aboard with Ashling and Iollan. Thor decided to follow Daniel and Sam to the infirmary. He hoped that he might be of more help there than tying up beings three times his size.

Daniel gently laid Ashling on the examination table where he had so recently been treated while Sam began gathering medical supplies.

"Sam, she's unconscious and her pulse is weak and irregular. Her breathing is shallow and she doesn't seem to be reacting to the contractions." He moved down and spread her legs. "Oh, god, Sam! She's bleeding a lot!"

Sam slipped an oxygen mask over the unconscious woman's face while Daniel began cleaning up the blood flowing from her body. Daniel pulled a glove over his hand and carefully inserted it into his wife.

"She's still not fully dilated, but she's in no shape to push anyway. Sam, I felt a foot. The baby's breech." Daniel peeled off the glove and tossed it into a nearby trash can. "I think we need to get the baby out now."

Sam nodded her agreement. "The placenta may have detached and that is causing the bleeding, but that also means that the baby isn't getting any oxygen."

Daniel turned to Thor, who had just entered the room looking as flustered as the little grey guy possibly could. "Is there any was to use the beaming technology to just beam the baby out?"

"Unfortunately, Daniel Jackson, the form of technology installed on the _Odyssey_ is not of a precise enough nature for that. It could not distinguish between the unborn infant and its mother. We could be beaming out a portion of the mother's internal organs also."

Daniel grimaced at the mental picture and turned to Sam. "I guess we just have to do a C-section and hope we know what the hell we're doing."

By this time, Jack and Teal'c had finished securing the prisoners and entered the medical bay.

Jack turned to Daniel and Sam. "I've had to do some emergency field surgery, like remove bullets, but I've never had to remove a baby."

"I can't do it! She's my wife!" Daniel wrapped his arms around himself for a brief moment until a stab of pain reminded him of his injured ribs.

"Daniel, you shouldn't even be standing right now. You're injured." Sam put an arm around him and tried to move him over to a chair.

"Sam, I'm all right. I'll be better when the baby's born and Ashling is recovering."

Jack's natural leadership qualities took over. "Sam, you'll operate. Daniel, you can sit in this chair by your wife's head. Teal'c, you go back and watch over our guests. Make sure they stay out until this is over. We don't need any surprises in here right now. Thor...you…you just stand there and look intelligent or something."

Daniel slid a chair over next to Ashling and sank gratefully down. "What will you do, Jack?"

"Hey, I'm supervising."

Sam rolled her eyes and finished washing up. "You guys do know I've never done this before."

"Sam, they'll both die unless we do something." Daniel's eyes pleaded with Sam. She met her friend's gaze and realized how much the life of both the baby and the woman met to him. She wasn't about to let him lose another person he loved.

She nodded briefly and got to work.

XXXXXXXXXX

Three minutes later, Sam lifted out a squirming baby and placed it in Jack's waiting arms. He had found some clean towels and he worked to dry the slimy child. Daniel was still focused on Ashling and missed the birth. As Sam worked to sew Ashling back up, Jack moved toward Daniel with the precious bundle in his arms.

"Daniel, I think you might want to see this." Jack nudged Daniel's shoulder with his elbow.

Daniel raised his eyes up to meet Jack's and slowly realized what he held. He stood and reached out to caress his child's face with the tip of his finger. He looked back down at his unconscious wife. "You did it. She…he?" He turned back to Jack. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Jack grinned sheepishly. "I don't know. I was too busy to look."

Jack loosened his grip on the baby just a bit so that Daniel could shift the towel. He peeked and looked back up to Jack with a big grin.

"Ashling, we have a daughter."

"I could have told you that," Sam looked up from where she was stitching Ashling back together into the smiling faces of her friends.

Thor walked over. "May I have a look? I have never seen a newborn human."

Daniel took the baby from Jack and sat back in the chair next to Ashling. Thor extended one long finger and tentatively touched the baby's cheek.

"Have you chosen a designation for the infant yet?"

"Her name is Kyra. It means 'ruler' and she is destined to be a future ruler on her world." Daniel hadn't taken his eyes off the baby since he'd first seen her.

Jack winced slightly. _He did marry another alien princess! _

"God, Jack. I didn't know I could love someone so much I'd never seen before. I love her so much already, it almost hurts." Daniel raised his face to Jack and one tear trickled down his cheek.

Jack clasped Daniel's shoulder. "I know. It grows. You'll love her more tomorrow."

Sam straightened up. "Finished here. Daniel, I gave her a Vitamin K shot to slow the bleeding, but she's still bleeding too much. I hooked her up to a monitor to keep an eye on her vital signs, too. I don't know what else to do." She stripped off her gloves and tossed them into the trash.

She came around to the head of the table and looked down at the baby. "May I?" she asked as she held out her arms.

Daniel hesitated just a moment, unwilling to relinquish the new life in his hands, and then handed the baby to Sam. "You know, someone needs to go get Teal'c. He and Jack are the only ones around here who know what to do with a newborn baby."

"I will go." Thor left the room.

Daniel turned back to Ashling and saw her eyes flutter. "Ashling? Wake up and meet our daughter."

She managed to keep her eyes open. Sam handed the baby back to Daniel and he leaned over so Ashling could see.

"I need to touch her." Her voice was so weak, Daniel barely heard it.

Daniel took Ashling's hand and brought it up to Kyra's face. "She has your black hair and my ears. We won't know if her eyes are going to be blue or grey for a while, but if she looks like you, I'll have to beat the boys away." Daniel smiled at Ashling.

Sam tapped Jack on the shoulder. "Sir, I think we should give them some privacy for a few minutes."

Jack nodded and they left the room.

"Daniel, I must speak with you while there is still time." Ashling tugged softly on his hand to pull him down closer to her.

"_Murnín_, we have a lifetime to talk." Daniel placed his hand over Ashling's as she caressed their daughter, unconsciously rubbing her hand with his thumb.

"No. The last vision I had…I…I'm dying. You must raise her. Take her away from the evil. My father is well again. One of my sisters can rule. Keep Kyra safe."

Daniel didn't want to believe her. He was in no way ready to face the possibility that another person he loved was going to die. His voice shook as he spoke. "Ashling, you're going to be fine. We'll take you back to Earth and have a doctor look after you and-"

Ashling gave him a small smile. "Daniel, I should have known from the moment I hit you with that arrow you were stubborn. You need to listen. You must raise her. Keep her away from the evil that has plagued my world."

Daniel pushed a lock of her hair off her face. "It's ok, sweetheart, Iollan's gone. We can protect you and your people from the Ori."

Ashling continued to talk as if she hadn't heard him. "My father is well again. One of my sisters can rule after him. Keep Kyra safe."

Daniel shifted in his chair, not wanting to see where this train of though was going. "Ashling, we can talk about this later. You'll be fine."

"Promise me, Daniel. Kyra matters more than anything else. Please, keep her safe."

The look of pleading in Ashling's eyes broke through Daniel's need to stay strong, as much for her as for his own sake. "All right, I promise." He leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead. " But promise you'll be there with me."

Ashling gave him a weak smile. "I've never said the words, Daniel, but I love you. You have helped to give me a way to protect both my family and my people, and for that, I am grateful. Know that I would do it all again."

Daniel felt her hand slacken under his. "Ashling?"

The absence of sound when the monitor flat lined caused Sam and Jack to run back in.

"Jack, get the defibrillator! Daniel, get out of the way."

Daniel moved back, eyes wide with terror and his hands tight on the towel wrapped around his daughter, and let Jack and Sam work on Ashling. Teal'c and Thor entered the room just as Sam lifted her eyes to Jack's over the dead woman.

"Jack . . ." Sam's sentence trailed off, not wanting to give voice to what she knew was the truth. _How do you tell your best friend he's lost another woman he loves_.

"It's ok, Sam." Daniel's hoarse voice broke the silence in the room. He handed his daughter to Teal'c and moved to stand beside the table where his wife lay. "Can we be alone for a few minutes?"

Jack nodded. "Whatever you need, Daniel." He laid a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder briefly and then ushered everyone into the hall to give Daniel some privacy.

Teal'c was the first to speak. "O'Neill, I do not understand. Is this the offspring of DanielJackson?"

"She is, Teal'c." Jack nodded towards the now closed door of the medical bay. "And the woman lying on that table is…was, his wife."

Sam swiped a tear that had somehow defied her wishes and sneaked down her cheek. "It isn't fair, sir. Daniel has had to endure so much. He doesn't deserve this."

"No, he doesn't, Carter," Jack agreed. "But he will be okay. Maybe not right away, but he will be."

Teal'c gave a solemn nod. "Then it shall be our duty to assist DanielJackson with the growth and development of his child." The Jaffa warrior looked down at the squirming bundle in his arms. "I shall personally see to the nutritional requirements."

"Probably a good idea, Teal'c. Knowing Daniel, his kid will probably have an unhealthy addiction to coffee." Jack joked.

His comment finally let Sam crack a smile. "Either that or Jello."

"Really, Carter? So you think the baby would like commissary food?"

* * *

A/N: Many, many thanks to my beta, Verb, who seriously worked overtime on this chapter. Also, for choosing the sex and name of Daniel's baby. (She gets to name all babies and even a dog in the story I'm working on now.) 


	20. Chapter 20

EPILOGUE Six weeks later

The original SG-1 sat together on one side of the SGC briefing table; Daniel cradled a sleeping Kyra in his arms. Across the table sat the current Secretary of the Air Force, retired General George Hammond, General Landry and General Maynard, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Hammond leaned forward, clasped his hands together, and addressed the group facing him. "As you know, we," he gestured to the men sitting on either side of him, "have come to a decision about the consequences you all must face for the theft of the _Odyssey_."

Looking straight at Daniel, "Son, you were not a part of the, um, unauthorized 'plot' to commandeer the ship and therefore you will face no disciplinary action. Your job is waiting for you when you're ready to return."

Sam reached over and quietly squeezed Daniel's hand while Jack flashed a grin in his direction.

Hammond then turned to Teal'c, "Teal'c, while you are currently a part of SG-1 on occasion, you are officially the ambassador from Chulak and therefore have diplomatic immunity."

Teal'c acknowledged the amnesty with a stately nod of his head. The others on his side of the table all grinned and Jack nudged him with his shoulder.

"However," Hammond turned to Jack and Sam, "you two are active military and know there are serious consequences to your actions." He stopped and glanced at the impassive men seated on either side of him. Sam and Jack kept their eyes locked on their former base commander's face.

"We have decided that you shall each receive a strong reprimand on your records – nothing new there for you, Jack – and you shall both be placed on one month's leave-of-absence without pay." He understood the shocked relief that flicked over Colonel Carter's face and the smirk on Jack's. "Dismissed."

As the group made their way out of the room, Sam turned to Daniel and reached out to caress Kyra. "Daniel, are you going to take her back to her home world at all?"

Daniel looked down at the sleeping infant in his arms and brushed her cheek with his fingertip. "No. Ashling's dying wish was that I keep her safe. When I checked with her father before the _Odyssey_ left for Earth, he agreed. One of his other daughters will be trained to lead their people."

He shifted the bright pink diaper bag on his shoulder. "Plus, I expect another Prior will show up eventually. Landry's making arrangements for Earth to help protect Aeire, but I'm going to keep my promise to my wife and raise our daughter here, on Earth."

Sam leaned over and enveloped her friend in a hug. "Daniel, you are going to be such a great father. I know Ashling would be proud."

XXXXXXXXXX

That night, as Daniel settled on his couch to feed Kyra, the doorbell rang. He sighed and stood, still holding the baby and her bottle. He pattered barefoot to the door, tucked the bottle under his chin to free up a hand, and unlocked the door. As soon as he began to open it, Jack pushed his way in followed by Sam, Teal'c, Cameron, George and Vala, who had returned from the Ori galaxy while Daniel was missing.

"Come on in, Jack. Don't be shy." Daniel frowned as the group invaded Daniel's home.

"We knew it would be difficult for you to meet us somewhere with the baby, so we brought the celebration here. We come with beer and junk food." Jack stood there holding a stack of pizza boxes, while Cameron and Teal'c each clutched several cartons of beer.

Daniel began walking back to his living room. "You guys know where everything is." Sam reached over and took the hungry infant from her father and settled herself on the couch.

"I wasn't around my brother's kids when they were tiny and now they're almost all grown." Sam said by way of explanation and gazed with wonder at the tiny infant in her arms. Daniel took a seat in a chair as Jack dropped the pizza boxes on the coffee table. Cam and Teal'c came back into the room with a beer for everyone and sat on the floor. Jack plopped on the couch next to Sam and watched quietly while she fed Kyra.

"So, people, now that SG-1 is on downtime for a month, what are y'all planning." Hammond sipped his beer.

Daniel glanced at his daughter, "Well, sir, I'm going to be taking care of her and deciding if I want to continue going off world. If something happened to me, she'd have no one to take her."

Three faces turned to him, and three voices declared, "I would take her." Jack, Sam and Teal'c snapped their heads around and glared at each other as the competition for the child heated up.

Vala and Cam just smirked.

"Hey, guys, just thinking out loud. I know any of you would take her and I'll figure something out legally, but this is the only shot I'll probably ever have at being a father and I'm going to be here for her." Daniel's face softened as he watched Kyra drift off to sleep, full and content. "I won't leave the SGC. God knows there's plenty for me to do at the base."

Glancing back to Jack, "I guess I won't be going to Atlantis any time soon."

Jack's face immediately went blank. "What? I'd never stop you from going." Thrusting a thumb toward Vala, "She's the one who stopped you – twice!"

Vala took a sip from her beer, "I am totally innocent of all charges."

Cameron decided to step in before things got out of hand. "Jack, you got any plans for your downtime?"

"Funny story. You see, there's this fish…."

THE END

* * *

A/N: In the show, we don't know what position Hammond has now. Since Jack has been made the head of Homeworld Security, nothing has been said about Hammond, however, in "The Forth Horseman" he makes a speech dressed as a civilian. Wikipedia speculates that he might now be Secretary of the Air Force, a civilian position that reports directly to the Secretary of Defense. So for the purpose of my story – that's what he is. 

I have no idea if Teal'c is the representative from Chulak, but it gets him off the hook – so he is now!

Many, many thanks to those of you who suffered through my writer's block and continued to read this story. Good luck and god speed.


End file.
